Flowers
by aqueenofokay
Summary: Five Numbers. Five numbers changed Evan's life completely. Five numbers to kill for.
1. Chapter 1

Early morning sunlight spilt through thin curtains, the superhero print on them now faded with time. The warm, hazy sunlight fell on a desk with open textbooks and unfinished homework, spilling onto a messy floor where clothes, both dirty and clean, were thrown into a pile that would be moved to the bed then back again later on. The faint sounds of L.A. traffic floated through the open window with the light.

On the bed, blankets thrown about, lay a young boy, deep in sleep. The sudden sound of his alarm on his messy bedside table woke him, his hand reaching out from under the covers limply to hit the snooze button. Sitting up, the boy yawned, having to squint against the light coming through the faded curtains.

"Evan! Are you up yet? You're going to be late!" His mother's voice called down the hallway.

"I'm up!" Evan called back and promptly fell back on the bed, pulling the blankets back over his head. A few minutes later, the alarm went off again, making Evan groan as he sat up and turned it off. He pushed himself out of bed, tripping over his phone cord and made his way to the door and out into the hallway.

"Your breakfast is on the table. I gotta go, hun. Have a good day at school!" His mother gave him a smile as she left the bathroom, dressed in her usual interview suit. She hadn't had a proper job in months.

"I will." Evan nodded as she gave him a quick hug, not saying when he didn't raise his arms to hug her back before hurrying down the hall and out of sight. Evan stepped into the bathroom, turning the taps to wash his face. He didn't want to go to school today.

He didn't want to deal with the anxiety today.

Hearing the front door close, Evan made his choice to go back to bed but not before getting his plate of eggs and toast.

It wasn't until noon that Evan got dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, quickly lacing up his red running shoes before grabbing his backpack, making his way to the back door. He stepped into the warm early summer light, looking around the small backyard. The grass was brown, and the flowers in the small garden had been dead for a long time. Evan had wanted to tend to them, but his mother kept saying that they weren't going to stay here in this house for long so there was no point. She kept saying that even when months passed.

Putting his earbuds in his ears and pressed play on his phone, he pushed dead flowers from his mind and pulled his bike from its place against the wall and rode out to the road, the warm wind pulling at his black hair. A smile spread on his lips as he stood up and pedalled as fast as he could away from the small yellow house on the corner, feeling like he could fly. His left hand let go of the handle bar, wobbling for a few seconds before he gripped it again and sat back down, narrowly avoiding falling to the hot pavement. He was too nervous to take both hands off the handlebars.

Pulling into the small parking lot of a corner store, he locked up his bike and headed inside, wandering through the hazy, neon-lit aisles. At the back, he pulled an orange pop bottle out of the fridge and a bag of chips off the shelf. Setting them down on the counter, the college student looked at him with a questioning glance, probably wondering if he should be in school at this time.

"Is that all?"

"Uh…" Evan counted his money, then quickly grabbed a chocolate bar, setting it down on the counter with a smile. "Now it is." He paid, some of the coins falling to the counter top with a loud clatter. He apologised and quickly picked them up and gave them to the cashier before stuffing his treats into his bag and left. He took a deep breath before he got on his bike to calm the anxiety that had started to build in his chest, his fingernails digging into the palm of his hands. Getting back on his bike, he found himself heading towards the river with its sloping cement walls and algae. He didn't mind how gross it could be sometimes, no one went there unless they were filming something. He turned off the road onto the dirt and road towards the fence, dust flying up behind him.

He got off his bike once he reached the fence, looking down onto the dry cement river bed. Walking along the fence, Evan looked for a shady spot to sit down and have his pop. He didn't know when his mother would be home, but he had until three before he had home. If his mother found out that he had skipped again, she would be upset with him and she wouldn't understand why he didn't go if he told her the truth. She had become worried, more than usual. He would be graduating next year if he passed. Evan began thinking of excuses, a result of him always thinking that the worst would happen.

Finding a shady spot, he leant his bike against the fence, only then noticing the person leaning against the fence on the other side and the blood that oozed down the slope to the river. Evan stared at the man, unable to tell if he was still alive or not. His breathing shortened. The man coughed suddenly as he tried to turn, his weak gaze meeting Evan's wide eyes. He looked like he had been beaten brutally, or shot several times; either way, Evan didn't want to know. The sunlight now felt like a hot, neon light, sweat dripping down his neck.

"H-Help...H-Help me…" Evan didn't move. "H-Help me! P-Please!" Evan knew that he couldn't leave this man here. Taking a deep breath, he tried to stop his hands from shaking. He gripped the fence but had to wipe his hands off on his pants, too sweaty to climb. It took him a few painful moments, but he managed to climb over the fence, dropping to the hot cement beside him. He knelt down, reaching into his backpack for the pop. Using the hem of his black t-shirt, he took the cap off and held it out to the bloody man who with a shaking hand took it and took a long drink from it. "T-Thank y-you...W-What is your name?" Evan hesitated, not wanting to say anything. "I-I'm A-Adam…Y-You don't have to t-tell me yours."

"Evan." He answered quietly, trying to keep his voice steady. He didn't want to be scared, but he could hardly breathe.

"Evan...Evan. T-That's a nice name...Evan...C-Can I trust you with something?" Adam asked, coughing up blood. Evan wanted to say no but he could only stare. "You can't tell anyone, okay?" Evan nodded. He didn't know why. "Four...One...Eight...Two...Five. Don't tell anyone those numbers, okay? Can you do that...that...For me, Evan?" Instead of answering, Evan reached into his bag for the chocolate bar, unwrapping the slightly melted chocolate and handed it to Adam who managed a smile. "T-Thank y-you…"

"I-I'll call an ambulance." Evan said, reaching for his phone.

"No...Don't. We'll both be killed if you d-do...It's better me...t-than you, Evan." Adam said before taking a bite from the chocolate. "Why a-aren't you in school?"

"I don't want to be there." Evan shrugged. He knew he should just leave but he didn't want to leave him alone in the hot sun during his final hours.

"W-Why? You s-should be in school. D-Don't tell me y-you're a-a runaway…"

"I'm not. I just can't handle it...I can't talk to people…"

"You are t-talking to me…"

"That's not what I meant. I mean that-"

"I u-understand...Y-You know...You are the k-kindest p-person I've e-ever met...I'm s-sorry, Evan."

"For what?" Evan asked, looking out over the thin river.

"F-For w-what I've b-brought you i-into. I-It w-won't be kind t-to you..." Neither of them said anything for a little while, looking out over the Los Angeles River. A cool wind off the ocean gave them some relief from the heat. Evan felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, the unknown laying before him. He wasn't sure what he was going to do after this. He wanted his mother though, to talk to her and know that everything would be okay. He turned to Adam to ask him what the numbers meant, but he couldn't say anything. Adam was gone, his empty gaze on Evan as the chocolate bar continued to melt in his limp hand.

A cool breeze drifted around Evan as he biked down the street, trying to put what had happened out of his mind. However, he couldn't stop thinking about one thing; if he had gone to school, Adam would have died alone. Adam who understood why he didn't want to go. Adam who needed someone kind and Evan was that person.

"Stop...Stop…" Evan began to feel sick, having to stop and lean against his handlebars to breathe. "Stop…Nothing is going to happen to you. Nothing can happen to you. No one saw you right?"

There had been a car. A black car parked on the road that hadn't been there before.

"No one saw you." He told himself again. "Go home. Go home." He made himself keep pedalling, constantly looking over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. "Go home." Glancing over his shoulder again, car headlights suddenly blinded him, causing him swerve and fall from his bike. He fell to the still warm pavement, his elbow splitting open as he skinned his knee, ripping his jeans. Evan laid there for a moment, dazed. The black car came to a stop beside him.

"Did we startle you?" A voice called out. Evan shook his head as he got to his feet, shakily pulling his bike back up.

"N-No...Just a rock." Evan managed to say.

"Quick question, kid. Did you happen to be at the river at all today? See anything out of the ordinary?" The driver asked. Evan couldn't see his face. Nervous, he shook his head. "Are you sure?" As fast he could, Evan got on his bike and pedalled faster than he ever had in his life. He could have lied. He could have kept talking and they would have continued on but something had sparked in him. Maybe it seeing a man who someone had attempted to kill die slowly.

Maybe it was the numbers and their unknown significance that he now had to protect. Either way, he had to get away from that car. He heard the engine of the car roar as it sped up to catch up to him. Evan swerved into a small back road suddenly, glancing over his shoulder to see the car have to back up to give chase. He turned onto a driveway and onto the next street, hoping that it would be enough to lose them. He wasn't sure if the burning in his chest was from how fast he was pedalling and the panic that surged through him.

A sudden bang startled him, sparks flying up from the pavement beside him. Evan screamed, his bike wobbling under him. He looked back to see the car behind him, having gone back around the corner to catch up to him. A man hung out the passenger window, a gun in his hand.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Evan cried, trying to stay on his bike. "I don't wanna die...I don't wanna die." Another bang and his bike lurched under him, the back tyre popped. Evan screamed as he fell to the pavement, rolling to a stop as his bike crashed into the sidewalk a few feet over. Flowers in the front garden of the house he had fallen in front of, shivered in the early evening breeze. "Fuck…" Evan couldn't breathe. He struggled to get to his feet, his left side and back aching with pain. His bike was destroyed but he could still run if only he could get up. No one would help him, they would have heard the gunshots. They knew not to get involved.

The car came to stop beside him, both the driver and passenger getting out of the car.

"Nice shot, Ryan."

"You're sure this kid knows it?"

"Why would he have run if he didn't?" Evan had tried to ignore them, slowly staggering to his feet only to have his legs kicked out from under him. He crashed to the pavement, hitting his chin off the cement. He cried out in pain, blood filling his mouth. "Hey go easy on him. Brian will want him to talk and he can't if he bit his fucking tongue off." Hands roughly went under his arms and pulled him to his feet, dragging him towards the car. "Wait...Take his bag." His backpack was yanked from his shoulders, his phone clattering to the pavement. Evan tried to struggle, but the pain was overwhelming, leaving him weak and terrified. Anxiety held his breath, only letting out small wheezes as they pushed him into the back seat.

"He ain't going to jump out, is he, Luke?"

"Fucking look at him, Ryan. He ain't going anywhere." The larger man spat, slamming the door on Evan who curled into a ball on the seat, struggling to breathe. As the car started up, Evan felt tears fall from his eyes. How did this happen? This was all his fault. All his fault. He was going to die and it's all his fault.

The black car slowly drove down a pothole-ridden street, shaking the bruised and battered boy who lay on the back seat. The headlights illuminated a warehouse, the large door open and waiting for them. Inside, there was a bright industrial light on, the blinding white neon light making Evan squint, just as the morning sunlight had. There were dead flowers outside the front door.

The door open and hands were grabbing Evan's arms, pulling him out of the car. He leant against Luke for if he didn't he would have collapsed to the cement floor. There was a group of men in front of him, only one of them in a suit. The rest looked like they had been picked off the street and paid to look like gang members. Yet despite their streetwear, Evan had a feeling that they would be just as mean as the other two had been if not more.

"You said that he knows the code?" The man in the suit asked. There was a bit of accent in his voice but Evan wasn't sure where it was from.

"Yeah. We saw him climb over the fence and talk to Adam before he died." Ryan said, pushing Evan forward. He stumbled and fell to his knees, his panic rising in his chest again. "He tried to run when he asked him if he was there. He won't talk to us."

"We can do something about that." The man in the suit stepped forward, kneeling down in front of him. "What's your name?" Evan couldn't make a sound. He couldn't open his mouth, couldn't move. He felt numb with pain and fear, his breath catching in his throat. "Oh come on. It's just your name. What is it?" He smacked the side of Evan's head roughly. "Your name."

"Evan."

"Last name?" Again, Evan said nothing. The man smacked him again upside the head. "Last name."

"Fong."

"Good. Now you know that we have your name. You fuck with us, we'll fuck with you. Understood?" He snapped. Evan felt like he was going to be sick. "What did Adam say to you?" Evan didn't say a word. He closed his eyes tightly, pressing his shaking hands against the cold cement floor. "What did Adam say to you?" Silence filled the large empty room. The man stood up, turning around to face the men behind him. "Go ahead." One of the men in the group behind him took a step forward and suddenly hit Evan, blood filling his mouth. That was the second time now that he had painfully bitten his tongue. He let out a cry of pain, spitting blood to the floor. "What did Adam say to you, Evan?"

"Nothing!" Evan cried, his voice shaking. The man hit him again.

"We don't like liars, Evan!"

"H-he was dead when I found him!" Evan sobbed, tears streaming down his face. "Please let me go...Please!" The man in the suit reached inside his jacket, pulling a handgun from inside and cocked it, aiming it at Evan's head. "He was dead! He was dead!" Evan screamed. His hands were shaking uncontrollably. He wondered if they would ever stop shaking if he got out of this alive. The man sighed then, his grip shifting on the gun as if deciding to pull the trigger or not. Evan slowly raised his gaze to look up at him, hardly able to breathe at all. He wished he had hugged his mum back this morning before she left.

"Ryan said that you gave Adam a chocolate bar. Why? Why would you give a dying man that? A man who clearly was involved in some bad things." The man in the suit asked, his gun lowering slightly. He was curious.

"Because...That was the kind thing to do. It doesn't matter what he was involved in." Evan said quietly looking away from the men standing around him.

"Did you do it because he gave you something in return?" The man wondered. Evan mentally kicked himself. He wasn't curious. He had changed his tactic.

"No."

"So you're just a good person then, aren't you?" The man snapped. Evan nodded, almost frantically. The man laughed. "See, this kid should be a fucking example for all of you sick fucks! See what happens when you're a good person." Evan wasn't prepared for the impact of the gun's barrel hitting the side of his skull. He fell to the cement floor, feeling warm blood ooze down the side of his head onto his face. He gasped in shock and pain, blinking rapidly as he tried to get the world to stop spinning. A sharp kick to his side threw him onto his back, a burning pain spreading through his chest. He couldn't breathe. Tears fell from his tightly closed eyes. Evan kept thinking over and over that this was it, that he would die and for what? Some code? Adam had been so kind to him, but he had damned him with those numbers. "If you won't tell us the truth, I'll have them beat it out of you." Evan let out a sob, the pain too much to even move. The others moved towards him, each taking a turn kicking and stomping on him. He managed to cover his head with his arms, shaking uncontrollably.

This was the end, Evan was sure of it. His mom would come home to an empty house. First, she would shrug it off, thinking that he was still out riding his bike or something. Now though it was dark and she was sure that she would have called the police now, worry making her frantic. She didn't deserve this. Tomorrow, they'd find his mangled body either left behind in the warehouse or thrown in the river. He was all she had left.

Another kick to his chest knocked the last of his air out of him. He gasped, heaving for air through broken ribs. Another kick, this time pinning his arm to his chest at an uncomfortable angle. Evan let out a strangled noise, trying to roll onto stomach to protect himself from any further pain. "You got anything to say?" Evan said nothing.

"This is a waste of energy." Ryan sighed, his voice full of annoyance. "If he didn't tell already, he ain't gonna tell." The man in the suit stared down at the shaking, bloody boy. The warehouse was filled with the sound of his strangled, heavy breathing.

"Then get rid of him." The man turned away from Evan. This was it, Evan thought. He was going to die. Hands grabbed his shoulders roughly, pulling him to his feet. Evan cried out in pain, tears streaming down his face as he tried to flail, to get away, but it was useless. He could only scream as he was thrown into the trunk of a car, the hood slamming down over him. Darkness surrounded him. The engine rumbled to life.

"No, no, no." Evan blubbered. He felt blood soaked into the scratchy carpet on the floor of the trunk. "Oh god, no...No...No…" He couldn't breathe. Maybe it was panic or it was the pain, either way, he couldn't breathe. "N-No…"

The car turned and sped up. Evan lost track of time, fading in and out of consciousness. He could hear traffic, the roar of a highway. He could faintly hear music and Ryan and Luke's voices. He couldn't make out what they were saying. Maybe they were talking about what they'd do to him. Maybe they weren't talking about him at all. Evan didn't know which one was worse. "I wanna go home…" Evan whispered as if someone could hear him. Blood oozed down his face. He could taste it. "I wanna go home…"

Evan realised he must have fallen unconscious as the dark world suddenly came back into focus as the car suddenly jostled, the sound of gravel hitting the metal snapping him back to consciousness. It was silent. No highway, no talking, no music. Was he dead already? The pain came over him and he knew he wasn't dead yet. Maybe they would have mercy. The car slowly came to a stop. Doors opened and slammed closed. Evan couldn't breathe. He could hear footsteps on gravel.

"Here?"

"Loosest dirt..." They were walking away from the car, looking for a spot to dump him. Evan slowly raised a bloody hand, feeling around for anything that might serve as a weapon or get him out. His adrenaline was building despite the pain that crushed his lungs. He had to tun. Find someone who could help him before he collapsed.

"What's that?" It was Luke's voice that suddenly sounded close. "I thought we weren't being followed."

"Fuck." The trunk opened, hot, fresh air filling the trunk. Evan gasped for air through broken ribs, every movement making him want to scream with pain. Hands grabbed his wrists and ankles, dragging him out of the trunk. He couldn't stop the cry of pain. Evan couldn't focus on anything. The world was blurred and dark. He couldn't breathe through the pain and fear. He couldn't struggle.

He just wanted to go home; wanted to go home and wake up in bed to hear his mom yelling at him from down the hall that he's going to be late for school. He should have gone to school. His anxiety seemed silly now that he was being half dragged through the desert in the middle of nowhere, beaten to a pulp. "Here's fine. No one is gonna find him." Ryan dropped Evan to the dust harshly. In the distance was the rumble of an engine.

"Did he want him dead?"

"Look at him, Luke. The birds will be on him in no time. No need to waste our bullets...Especially if those fucking assholes followed us." Ryan kicked some dirt over Evan. It clung to his bloody t-shirt and face. Luke joined him, throwing dirt over him in a quick attempt at burying him alive. Even when he coughed they didn't stop covering him with more of the dirt, suffocating him. "Let's get out of here." Evan didn't watch them hurry back to the car. He laid there, half buried in hot desert dirt, the world blurring out of focus.

What a desolate place this seemed. Not even flowers grew.

Evan heard the car start and turn aggressively, speeding off down the small dirt road they had come. After a moment, there was a few faint bangs and the sound of a car coming closer. It sounded different, more aggressive.

Evan couldn't think anymore. He felt heavy, his limbs weighing him down to the dirt. He felt as though he were sinking deeper into his grave, consumed by the earth to be eaten by worms. Maybe one day, there would only be plants above him to show he was once there. Out of the blur that surrounded him, numbers found their way to his bloody lips.

"Four...One...Eight, two...Five…" He didn't know what they meant. He didn't know why he was saying them now, but he felt that he had to say it. They were Adam's dying words and now he was dying because of them. Would he be the last one to know that order of numbers? He wondered if it even mattered if he didn't know what they were for.

The loud car got closer and rumbled to a stop. Evan faintly heard car doors slam.

"Did you see where they took him?" A new voice called out, echoing in the hot, night air.

"No." Another called back.

"H-H...Hel…" Evan struggled to speak, blood and dirt suddenly filling his mouth. He choked on it, spitting the harsh metal tasting blood onto the dirt. He couldn't move, couldn't try again to speak. There were footsteps. Maybe they would have mercy.

"Over here!" Evan struggled to make sense of the blurry figure that came into view. It looked distorted, and the head was wrong. It wasn't a human head. "Fuck, it's a kid." Evan faintly heard as the pain suddenly took hold of him, the feeling of being pulled into the earth coming over him. As darkness came over him, Evan realised what seemed so wrong about the figure.

The man that stood over him had the head of a pig.


	2. Chapter 2

"Who are you?" Lights flashed and blurred. Someone stood over him, an alien figure staring down at him. "Who are you?" Evan slowly realised that this strange figure was talking to him. He couldn't answer. He promised not to tell. "Stay with me…" But he didn't, instead slipping back into the blurry darkness.

"Hey...Can you hear me?" Evan tried to focus. Hazy light blurred around him. "Can you hear me?" It wasn't a voice he recognised. It wasn't his mom. As he closed his eyes, he wondered where she was.

"Who are you?" The lights weren't as harsh. There was something softer in this voice, more of wonder than demanding. "Do you know it? Do you know the code?" Evan promised not to tell. "I doubt you even know what it means to me…" He shouldn't have heard that and he pretended he didn't as he fell back into the blurry darkness.

"Who is he?"

"We don't know yet. He hasn't woken up long enough to say anything. Just comes in and out."

"Does he know it? The code?"

"I told you, he hasn't been awake long enough to say anything."

"He's got nothing on him? No phone, wallet, anything?"

"Nothing."

"What if he doesn't know?"

"We'll leave that up to Tyler."

Tyler. Evan had a feeling that that was the voice who had wondered if he knew how much the code meant to him. He wondered if maybe, Tyler was the one that found him.

There was a new voice this time. At least Evan wasn't alone in the dark.

He was dreaming, something he knew he hadn't done in awhile. Evan dreamed that he stood in that warehouse, the man in the suit standing a few feet away.

"What's your name?" The man snarled.

"Why does everyone want to know my name?" Evan said for he couldn't be scared in a dream. It wasn't real. The man in the suit raised his gun and fired. Evan staggered back, his eyes wide. He looked down at the bloody hole in his chest. A flower sprouted from among the torn flesh and blood.

Evan sat up suddenly, heaving for air through lungs that burned. He let out another cry from the pain that suddenly came over him, falling back onto the warm bed. It took him a few minutes to calm his breathing, his wide eyes on the white ceiling above him. He counted to ten over and over, slowly calming his breathing.

"Four…" He stopped, the numbers of the code flashing through his mind. He promised.

Evan closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He realised that he could hear water and the sounds of young kids playing, their high-pitched voices loud in Evan's ears. Opening his eyes, Evan managed to turn his head to look around the room. The walls were painted a peachy orange colour, a couple of landscape paintings on the walls. There were two beds including his and a TV stand on the opposite wall. On the bed across from Evan were medical supplies, gauze and medicine bottles, needles and thread and a couple of clean needles.

On the bedside table was a pink vase and brightly coloured plastic flowers in it. Evan stared at the vase. He wished he was a plastic flower. Looking towards the one window, the blinds closed, Evan realised that he was in a motel.

Taking a deep breath, he managed to sit up, looking around the room. He was alone. Something told him to get out. It'd hurt like hell but he had to get out. He had to get home, find a way to call his mom and tell her that he's alive. He couldn't see a phone in the room anywhere which was odd. Someone must have taken it out.

He started to move towards the edge of the bed, almost dragging himself towards it. He stopped, heaving for air. The gauze on his ribs was tight. He managed to take another deep breath, swinging his bruised legs over the side of the bed. He found his shirt, jeans and shoes folded neatly on the other bed. It took all he had not to cry while struggling to put them on, the fabric of his black t-shirt, still bloody and covered in dust, felt heavy over his ribs. Evan didn't bother with his shoes, hardly able to pick them up before stumbling towards the door, having to stop when he reached it, taking a deep breath to calm the pain before sliding the locks out and pulling it open. Hot sunlight washed over him, fresh air filling his bruised lungs.

He was alive.

Realising that he was on the second floor of the motel, he clung to the railing with his free hand, slowly making his way along the walkway. There had to be a phone around here somewhere that he could borrow. The kids in the swimming pool in the middle of the courtyard looked like they were from out of town, a couple of adults sitting on the deck watching them. He thought about asking them if he could borrow their phone but worried that they would be frightened of him in this state.

"Hey!" A voice on the stairs startled Evan, his grip tightening on the white metal railing. A young man carrying a paper bag was hurrying up the steps, his yellow flip flops smacking against the stairs. "Hey! Stop! You'll pull your stitches." Evan stared at him as he got closer, not sure if he should try to run or not. The man reached his hand towards him as Evan let go of the railing, hurrying as fast as he could in the opposite direction. "Fuck! Come back!" Evan tried to run, his aching muscles screaming at him to stop. A hand caught Evan's arm as his legs suddenly gave out from under him. Evan clung to the arm that went around him as he fell, the air knocked from his bruised lungs. "It's okay...You're okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. I've been taking care of you. I promise I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay."

"L-Let me...Let me go...I have to get home…" Evan gasped, though he couldn't fight against the arms around him. The young man turned him around slowly, angling him towards the open motel door. Some of the parents down by the pool were looking up at them.

"You're in no state to go anywhere right now. Just walk back into the room, and I'll give you some painkillers. I got you some food too. I'll explain as much as I can." He tried to reason with Evan who after a few moments, decided that he was was right, he had no other choice right now than to listen to him. He nodded. The man smiled, bending down to pick up Evan's fallen shoes and the paper bag he had set down. As Evan staggered back into the room, he waved to the people down by the pool and quickly slipped into the room. Evan managed to sit down on the bed, trying to catch his breath. "I just got a regular burger and fries. It's not much, but it should give you some energy back. I'll get you some water." He handed the greasy bag to Evan and set the shoes down before taking a plastic cup off the TV stand and walked to the bathroom. Evan heard the tap turn on and water filling up the cup. He had no appetite. He felt sick. The man came back, handing him the cup of water. Evan took it, taking a hesitant sip. When it didn't taste wrong or burn, Evan gulped the rest of it down.

"T-Thank you…" Evan whispered, handing the cup back to the man.

"Can I ask what your name is?" Evan tensed as the young man sat on the bed, giving Evan some space. He had told that man his name; he didn't want anyone else knowing it. "My name is Craig." Evan stared at him. Craig shifted uncomfortably, looking away from the beat up kid that stared at him. "How uh...How old are you?" The man in the suit probably knew that already, it wouldn't be hard for a man like that to find information on someone.

So Evan stayed silent. The fewer people that knew about him and his life, the better he figured. That meant that they would have little to use against him if they tried asking for the code. Evan had watched enough movies that he liked to pretend that he knew what he was doing, but he had no idea. It was better to say nothing. "I'm twenty-two." Craig looked back up at Evan who looked past him to the peach coloured wall. A fan buzzed. Evan imagined himself like the plastic flowers, still and unchanging. "Why don't you get some rest? Eat if you can." Craig sighed, getting up. He walked towards the door, leaving Evan still staring at the wall.

"Seventeen." Evan suddenly said, startling Craig who turned at the door to look at him. "I'm seventeen years old."

Evan had nibbled on a few fries, his back against the peach wall as he watched the curtain billow softly on the warm breeze. The courtyard had gone silent and Evan could only hear the pool water lapping against the sides. He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, but when he awoke, he was laying back down, the food gone save for a cup of water on the bedside table. He could hear Craig talking.

"Yeah, he woke up. No...No, I didn't get much. He tried to run off but he's still in such bad shape, he didn't get far. Has he been reported at all? Missing or anything? He only told me how old he is...Seventeen." There was a pause. "I know. Fucked up. Okay. I know. I'll see you tomorrow." The door opened. Evan pretended to be asleep. He listened to Craig move around the room, before he slipped back into a deep sleep, wondering who was coming tomorrow.

There was a rumble. It woke Evan, who blinked a few times, trying to adjust to the sunlight that came through the window.

"Morning." Craig sat on the opposite bed, looking down at his phone. Evan struggled to sit up, looking towards the window where the rumble turned into the roar of an engine which suddenly quieted. "Tyler's here." Craig stood up, walking towards the door. "Stay here." He stepped outside. Evan watched his silhouette walk past the window and return with a second, much taller silhouette. Anxiety bubbled in Evan's chest, his breathing hitching as he listened to their quiet voices and footsteps move towards the door. He found himself curling his right hand into a fist around the blanket as the door handle turned. "Don't expect too much." Craig said as the door opened. Behind him was a tall man, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, a white blazer thrown over top.

The first thing Evan noticed though was his eyes. He remembered those eyes. The pig head flashed through his mind. Of course, it had been a mask, but it had been the last thing Evan saw before he thought he died. He might have trusted him a bit more if he had it. He had saved him from a grave in the middle of nowhere; where not even flowers grew.

"Hi." The tall man sat down beside Evan, giving him a small smile. "I'm Tyler. Craig told me that you woke up yesterday for the first time in awhile. I'm really glad you're awake, I was worried." Evan stared at him, waiting for him to ask for his name or the code. "Craig told me you're seventeen? Still in high school?" Evan was caught off guard. He nodded. "Grade eleven?" Again, Evan nodded. "I hated that grade. Had the most pressure." Tyler said. There was something about Tyler that convinced Evan of every word Tyler said even though it was very plausible that he was lying to him. "You are lucky to be alive. We found you out there in the desert...It was Brain's guys who left you there." Evan's brow furrowed. "He was probably wearing a suit, he always does. He's the ringleader of a bunch of guys who want to do nothing but hurt people." Tyler explained, refreshing Evan's blurry memory.

"Why?" Evan whispered, surprising both himself and Tyler who seemed to struggle to find the right words.

"Greed. Power. Maybe it's the rush of adrenaline. I can't explain it to you." Tyler shrugged.

"Who are you?" Evan asked, meeting Tyler's striking gaze. "Are you like him?" Tyler shook his head but the expression on his face didn't match his answer. He was just as bad. Evan's grip on the blanket tightened with fear.

"We don't do it because we want to...Well maybe there is some want there, but we are more of a family, one that has to support each other to survive." Tyler explained. Evan looked confused when he said the word 'we'. He should have known there would be more than just Craig and Tyler, but he hadn't wanted to accept that he had gotten involved with gangs, the ones his mom warned him about, even if it was accidental.

"You're a gang." Evan looked down at the blanket, fidgeting with the blanket. "I-I just want to go home…"

"I know. I want to take you home...But Brain won't stop until he gets that code. You won't be safe until he's dead. I'm sure you already knew that." Tyler sighed. "I'm sorry." Silence descended over the small, peach coloured motel room. The sound of pool water lapping against the sides of the pool drifted from the window. "You know I'm going to ask you for the code, and I have a feeling that you're not going to tell me. Which is okay for now...But eventually, we are going to have to know it. The more of us that know it, the less of a price there will be on your head." Evan's chest tightened. Of course, there was a price on his head, of course, he was going to be hunted like a prized deer. "The only thing I want to know right now is your name. I want to protect you. I want to keep you safe from Brain. He's a monster." Evan could have sworn there was fear in his voice.

"A monster?" Evan whispered. Tyler nodded, looking away from Evan for a few long moments. Evan met Craig's gaze, before turning back to Tyler.

"A few years ago, when I was just getting started, Brian found me. During that time, I was preparing for a job that was going to set me up for the next little while, enough money to buy a proper hideout and supplies...I had to do it or I would be nothing…"

 _The tall young man couldn't stop himself from looking over his shoulder at the black car that had been tailing him for several blocks. Tyler looked back, again and again, every time praying that the car would be gone every time he looked and every time, he was filled more fear when he saw it. Tyler took a deep breath, telling himself to keep walking as fast as he could, but not fast enough to draw more attention to him._

 _He had heard about Brian before, had heard about how terrifying he was. He owned Los Angeles, he'd kill anyone who tried to take the city from him. He would certainly kill Tyler if he got him. The car was suddenly beside Tyler and there were two men stepping out of it, approaching Tyler. He took off down the street, sprinting as fast as he could. He should have run sooner. He should have taken a taxi though it would have taken the last of his money. He should have hidden better._

 _Someone stepped out from an alley and suddenly tackled Tyler to the sidewalk, the skin of his elbow ripping. Blood smeared on Tyler's shirt. He struggled as he was pulled to his feet, dragged back towards the car. It was too late at night for anyone to see, for anyone to help._

" _So you're Tyler...I've heard about you." An accented voice said from the dark. Tyler blinked, seeing the blond man in a suit leaning against the car. "You ran away from home after your butcher daddy threatened you with a pig head...Crazy story, Tyler. Is it true?"_

" _Fuck off." Tyler spat. He didn't like the idea of Brian's hands peeling apart his past. Brian smiled. Tyler thought that his teeth looked too white. "What do you want?"_

" _I heard that you got a big job coming up. Pretty good catch, how did you manage to get that one?" Brian asked, watching Tyler as he tried to struggle again._

" _It's not your job. You have no business in it. You know how this shit works." Tyler snarled, struggling against the two men that held him back. He grit his teeth, looking at the other men that stood nearby, then to Brian, wondering if all of them would shoot if he tried to run._

" _I'm the CEO, Tyler. Your job is my job." Brian smiled. "If you give it to me, I'll give you a cut of the reward." Brian liked offers. Most people had told him that if Brian wanted to make a deal, he should always say no because Brian will screw him over._

" _I said fuck off." Tyler snarled. Brian clicked his tongue, moving away from the car. He glanced at one of the men that held Tyler back. Before he could react, Tyler was shoved forward against the car, his right hand pinned down the hot hood of the car. "Stop! Stop! Let go of me!" Tyler screamed, struggling against the men that pinned him down. Metal caught his eye. A hammer came down his right hand. Tyler screamed, pain shooting up his arm. "Fuck! Fuck!" Tears of pain blurred his vision._

" _Now your hand is wounded, your job will be much harder now if you do it. Why not give it to me, and I'll give you a cut?" Brian was smiling. Tyler didn't have to see it to know he was baring his teeth._

" _Go to hell." Tyler spat through gritted teeth._

" _Break it." Brian snarled. The hammer came down on Tyler's hand for the second time, then a third. He screamed, struggling against the men weakly. One of the bones had come through the skin, blood oozing onto the hood of the expensive car. Tyler struggled to breathe, heaving for air as he looked down at his mangled hand. He was suddenly let go, his knees giving out from under him as he fell to the sidewalk, clutching his hand to his chest. "I promise Tyler, you'll get something...probably enough to pay off your hospital bill, but that's still something. This job is just too much for you." Brian pulled a handkerchief from his suit, wiping Tyler's blood off the hood of his car. "I'll see you around." With that, he had gotten into his car, the other men heading for their own cars, their watchful gaze still on Tyler who sat on the sidewalk, in pain and humiliation. He'd kill Brian even if it was the last thing he did._

"I got a cheque two weeks later...Brian was right. It was enough to pay off the bill for getting my fucking hand taken care off, but that was it. He put me back to square one. If it wasn't for…" He stopped then, looking down at his right hand, rubbing his left thumb against the top of his right hand. Evan could see the scars. Craig was looking at Tyler, a sad look in his eyes. They shared that look for a few moments. "For a few people I found, I would still be stuck out there." Tyler finally said. Evan stared at him, imagining himself as Tyler, struggling against those men and the hammer as it came down his hand. He wished that Tyler had been stronger, wished he hadn't been alone. He imagined that he had been there, fighting them off him. He imagined taking that hammer to Brian's skull just as he had taken his gun to Evan's. "I understand how scared you are. I've been that scared. Now I'm angry." Tyler said, snapping Evan back to reality. "You have no reason to be scared of me, of any of us. None of us will hurt you." They were silent again. It took Evan a few seconds to realise they were waiting for him to say something. "I guess you're still pretty shocked...I won't push you. You can talk when you're ready." Tyler smiled, getting up. He checked his phone for a second as Craig stood up, both walking towards the door.

"Are you heading back?"

"Yeah...Jonathan said something about Brian sending out patrols. He knows we found the kid." Tyler said. "I'm meeting with Lui, doing an overhead search to see if we can find some of these 'patrols'." Evan looked at the plastic flowers, feeling bad that because of him, Tyler and whoever else was a part of his gang was putting their lives on the line to protect him and whatever the numbers were that floated through his head. He bit his lip. He couldn't tell them his name. Brian knew it, and he probably knew everything about Evan just like he knew everything about Tyler. He turned back to Tyler as he opened the door, warm sunlight washing over him. He was a hero or at least, Evan thought he was one.

"Evan." He couldn't stop himself from saying it, startling Tyler and Craig. "My name is Evan." Tyler smiled.

"It's nice to meet you, Evan."

It was getting dark, the dying sunlight making the peach coloured room glow. Craig had gone out to get dinner, making Evan promise that he wouldn't go anywhere. Yet as Evan sat in bed, not bothering to watch the TV that Craig had left on, he couldn't help but think about Tyler's story and the fear in his eyes as he told it. Because of him, Evan was making him face that fear and he didn't know if Tyler was ready too. He thought about how powerful Brian was, even if it was only because he was surrounded by people who didn't mind getting their hands dirty. He couldn't let Tyler get hurt like that again because of him.

Taking a deep breath, Evan managed to push himself towards the edge of the bed. He took a few deep breaths, reaching for the bedside table to support himself. He'd find a phone and call his mom; tell her that he just had a really bad day and he ran away. Managing to stand Evan let out a cry of pain, struggling to get air into his aching lungs. His legs suddenly wobbled violently and he fell. He reached for anything to stop his fall, accidentally pushing everything off the bedside table as he fell. The pink vase shattered. Evan landed on the plastic flowers, bending their wire stems and pulled at the petals made of cheap fabric. Laying on the floor between the two beds, surrounded by pink glass and bent and broken plastic flowers, Evan started to cry. He cried for himself and the pain he was in. He cried for his mom and the worry she must feel. He cried for Tyler and the stress and fear he faced. He cried for the broken flowers.


	3. Chapter 3

Craig had found Evan on the floor, letting out only quiet sobs. He had quickly set the box with dinner inside it down and rushed to help Evan up, swearing quietly.

"What were you thinking?" Evan knew Craig couldn't help the harsh tone in his voice. Craig managed to get Evan to stand, kicking the glass and broken flowers away.

"Home…" Was all Evan could say. Now, he sat in a warm bath, staring up at the ceiling. The hot water had stung at first but now it relaxed him. For just a little while, he felt at peace, closing his eyes and for a moment, thought he was home and none of this had happened. He didn't find Adam, he didn't get beaten by Brian and his men, he didn't get left in the desert to die, he didn't meet Tyler and hear his terrifying story.

Opening his eyes, Evan lifted his right hand from the water and bubbles. With his left hand, he traced the bones of his right hand, imagining the pain and terror Tyler must have felt when the hammer came down on his hand like a nail that refused to budge. Evan pressed down on his right hand with his left thumb, feeling the veins and bones as he put more pressure on it. Did Tyler's pain make him stronger? Did the anger he felt, as a result, make him stronger? As he pressed even harder on the top of his hand with his left hand, Evan wondered if he needed to be angrier to be stronger.

There was a knock at the door, snapping Evan out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" Craig called out.

"Y-Yeah." Evan called back, letting go of his hand. It felt a little numb. He heard Craig walk away from the door. Dropping his hands back into the water, Evan leaned his head back against the white tub, wincing a little. He wished the pain would go away. He could barely move. The thought occurred to him that he'd love to make Brian feel the same, to kick him in the ribs over and over, to dump his body in the desert. Sinking under the warm water, his black hair floating around his head, Evan smiled at the violent thought.

"Where are we?" Sitting on the bed the next morning, Evan stared out the motel window. He couldn't see much outside save for the courtyard and the pool, the palm tree leaves swaying in the warm wind. Around the pool were bright flowers. He could hear traffic and what sounded like airplanes. Craig looked up from the bag he was packing for Tyler who had called urgently an hour ago, surprised to hear Evan's voice. He didn't talk much.

"Oh...uh…San Diego."

"What?" Evan spun around too quickly and his muscles hated him for it. Craig set the bundle of gauze down and nodded.

"They had already taken you far out of the city, and we had to hide you where we knew Brian wouldn't look. A motel in the busiest tourist city with unreliable witness that constantly change? It's the best place to hide you." Craig explained. Evan felt sick; he'd never been so far from home. The thought filled him with fear, his chest tightening. His hand curled into a fist around the blanket.

"Oh...Oh god…" Evan couldn't breathe, anxiety crashing over him. "God, God...No…" Craig was suddenly beside him. He didn't say anything, just held his hand, breathing slowly. Evan found himself breathing in time with him. Silence filled the peach coloured room. On the bedside table were the bent plastic flowers. Evan hadn't let Craig throw them out.

"You're safe right now. You're okay." Craig finally said after a few long moments. "All of us are going to keep you safe. I promise." Evan hugged him. He wasn't sure why, he barely knew him, but he hugged him as tightly as he could. Craig was surprised at first, staring down at the boy that hugged him before gently hugging back. "I'm sorry this happened to you...You don't deserve this. You shouldn't be a part of this." Evan wanted to ask him what he meant but said nothing. The look on Craig's face told him everything.

"What do the numbers mean?" Evan whispered. Craig tensed, moving away from the hug. He wasn't going to tell Craig, but he had to know what they were for.

"I-I don't think I can tell you." Craig said, glancing at the window as if he expected someone to be there, listening. "It's not that I don't trust you...It's...It's just…" He stopped again. He didn't trust Evan. "I just can't." Evan nodded slowly, looking back out the window at the pool. He'd love to jump in it.

Tyler came by later in the day, giving Evan a warm smile before turning to Craig and the smile vanished, his face was filled with worry.

"Sorry I came on short notice. Marcel and Daithi got shot at and we need supplies if we can't have you to patch us up." Tyler said quietly. Evan stayed on his bed, his gaze on the ice cubes floating in his plastic cup.

"It's okay. I put this together for you." Craig smiled, handing Tyler the backpack. "Everything they'll need is in there. If it's really bad, call me." Evan snuck a glance at Tyler. His gaze was on the bedside table which was missing a pink vase, but still had the plastic flowers laid across it. Tyler started to turn his piercing gaze towards Evan who quickly looked away.

"Is he okay?" Tyler whispered.

"Physically, he's getting better." Craig answered. "Mentally...I don't know what to say. No kid...No one should go through what Brian did to him."Craig paused."Have you found out yet why Brain thinks he has the code?" He sounded reluctant to ask that question.

"Adam."

"Oh...fuck." Craig breathed. Evan's hand tightened on the plastic cup. All he could think of was Adam's body leaning against the hot chainlink fence and the blood that had streamed down the cement slope to the disgusting river. The numbers flashed in his head. They were burned into his brain so deep, he'd never forget them as long as he lived. "Is he dead?"

"Yeah."

"That makes him the last person to…" Tyler stopped Craig. Moving away from his medic, Tyler picked up one of the bent flowers, sitting down on the bed beside Evan.

"What happened to the vase?"

"He fell trying to get up." Craig answered for Evan. Tyler continued to stare at Evan, twirling the bright pink coloured flower between his fingers.

"I-I...I wanted to go home…" Evan finally said, his voice cracking.

"I understand." Tyler gave him a reassuring smile. "You do know though that its too dangerous to go home, right? I'm not lying to you. You are safer with Craig for the time being." Tyler explained. "And when it's safe for you to go home, I will personally drop you off out front your door."

"He's got a really nice car. You'll look so cool to all your friends." Craig joked. Evan wanted to cry. An awkward silence filled the room. Evan ripped his gaze away from Tyler, looking out the window. Through a crack in the blind, he could see the swimming pool, the bright blue water reflecting the warm sunlight.

"Anyways...What matters right now is that you are safe here. Before you know it, you'll be back in L.A and it'll all be okay." Tyler smiled. Evan looked down as Tyler placed the plastic flower on the bed beside him. "I promise." At first, Evan didn't believe it, but when he met Tyler's gaze, he did. He believed in Tyler, believed that he would get him home and he'd never have to worry about the numbers again. He would be free from the weight of a code he did not understand. Tyler stood up, pulling the backpack over his shoulder. "I'll call when you when I get back to let you know how they are doing." Tyler said to Craig before leaving the room. There was silence save for Tyler's footsteps down the stairs and a few moments later, an engine roaring to life.

"It's my fault…" Evan whispered.

"For what?" Craig's brow furrowed.

"It's because of me that they got shot...You should have just left me out there…"

It had taken some convincing, but Evan finally stood beside the empty pool, looking down at his reflection. Craig had been hesitant to let him swim, worried about the chemicals and his still healing lungs. The courtyard was empty this early in the morning. The sun rising over the roof made the water sparkle.

"Are you gonna jump in or not?" Craig called out from where he sat on one of the white plastic loungers. Evan smiled a little as he struggled to get his black t-shirt off, tossing it onto a chair nearby. He had walked down barefoot, dipping a toe in to check the water. As a kid, it took his mother everything to try to keep him out of the water. Once he kicked his jeans away, now only in his boxers, Evan took a deep breath and jumped.

Water rushed around him, his black hair floating around his head as air bubbles drifted up towards the surface. With a kick of his legs, he swam back up to the surface of the pool. Rays of morning sunlight shimmered through the water. Evan took a breath as he broke the surface, pushing his hair out of his eyes. He could relax his stressed muscles and just float for a little while. He didn't have to think about if he trusted them or not, didn't have to think about the numbers. He dove underwater again, hearing nothing. The world was muffled. He liked it that way. No anxiety. No fear. Nothing. Sunlight danced on the bright neon blue pool floor. He swam to the other side of the pool before resurfacing, taking another deep breath. Overhead, the mid-morning blue sky looked hazy. He could hear the traffic and the birds in the trees. The water lapped lazily at the sides of the pool. Two loud cars drove past.

Evan slipped back under water, this time staying under for a bit longer than he had before. When his healing lungs began to burn from lack of air, he resurfaced, his black hair sticking to his face as he gripped the side of the pool. Pushing his hair back, Evan saw the pair of blue shoes that stood in front of him. He slowly looked up at the man that stared down at him. The sunlight blocked his face from view. Evan tried to squint but could make out no features. His chest tightened with anxiety, making him push away from the edge. He didn't recognise him as one of Brian's men but he didn't want to be in reaching distance.

"Nice day for a swim." Tyler suddenly said as he walked up to the pool, stopping beside the other man.

"He's a kid." The man turned to Tyler, his face now visible to Evan. He almost felt silly because of his fear when he saw Tyler.

"I know, Jon." Tyler said, walking towards Craig. Evan swam towards the ladder, glancing nervously at this new person. He knew there were more people working for Tyler, but he hadn't expected to see them so soon. He still wasn't sure if he trusted Tyler and Craig yet despite the fact that they had done nothing but take care of him.

Evan stopped at the ladder, gripping it tightly. What if they brought reinforcements because they were going to start asking him about the code? He looked towards the way out of the courtyard. He couldn't get out fast enough. He would have to find another opportunity later before they started questioning him. "He seems a lot better. Is he talking more?" Tyler asked Craig as Evan made his way back to the chair where his clothes were, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind him. He pulled his t-shirt over his head, his ribs aching as he managed to get his jeans back on. No one was watching him but he felt like all eyes were on him, judging and harsh.

"Not really. Just little things here and there." Craig shrugged. "I wouldn't ask about Brian just yet."

"We don't have much time though." The new man in the blue hoodie said. "We know Brian is close. If the kid has the code, we need it and we have to keep him away from Brian."

"I've considered all of this, Jonathan. Our best option is to keep him close to us. So when he is ready to talk, we don't have to drive almost three hours to hear it. Brian can't find us in L.A-"

"That's only a matter of time and you know it." Jonathan pointed out.

"So he's as safe with us as he is here. We can't keep him here forever." Tyler continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. "Besides, I don't like the idea of him being far away. He's a kid who is alone in the world..." Evan stood awkwardly by the pool, looking down at his distorted reflection. He wanted to get his shoes, the cement burned uncomfortably under his bare feet. He wasn't supposed to be hearing any of this. He didn't understand any of it. He had no part in it.

"You said you weren't going to let anyone else join our family after what happened with Luke. Now you are letting this kid in because you relate to him? Because he might know the code?" Evan wasn't supposed to hear this, but he couldn't help but listen to Jonathan's angry words. He had met Luke already. "What if he does what Luke did?"

"He won't." Tyler snarled. "Evan is an ordinary kid. Don't you dare compare him to the traitor." He wished he was still underwater. He didn't want to hear Tyler sound so angry. "Say those words again and I will throw you back to the street where I found you." A heavy silence descended over the courtyard. Standing across the almost neon pool from the group that talked about him, Evan felt like he was back at school, separated from everyone and everything.

"I'm simply reminding you of the promise you made to us." Jonathan snapped. Tyler's jaw clenched. Evan was certain that he would shove Jonathan into the pool with the intention of drowning him.

"Enough. Tyler remembers his promise and you shouldn't worry so much, Jonathan." Craig said, moving between the two of them. "If anything happens, it's on me. I was the first to suggest we bring him with us. I doubt though that he would do anything though. He's a kind person."

"Traitors are kind. Luke was kind to us." Jonathan said before turning and walking towards the parking lot. Craig sighed, giving Tyler a reassuring look.

"He'll come around. He just feels bad still about what Luke said is all. Don't worry about it too much." Craig said as he started to walk around the pool towards Evan. Tyler stayed still, looking down at the bright blue water. Evan stared at him, only looking away when Craig approached him.

"I-I met Luke...He went after me when I left Adam...What did he do?" Evan asked quietly.

"It's a complicated story, but don't worry about it. Jonathan doesn't hate you anything. He just takes a little while to trust people." Craig gave him a smile. "He'll come around. Come on, we're heading back to L.A today." Craig said as he started towards the stairs. Evan's face lit up, but when he met Craig's gaze as he turned back over his shoulder to look him, it faded. He wasn't going home.

The wind coming through the rolled down window pulled at Evan's hair. His eyes watered when he moved closer to the window to see the desert landscape pass by. He'd never seen this part of California before. He and his mom had always stayed in L.A. Large boulders dotted the mountainsides and large homes could be seen at the top of some of the hills, surrounded by palm trees. The blue sky seemed to stretch on forever. The highway ripped with heat waves. A blue sports car sped past and Tyler smiled. Evan fell back against his seat as the Corvette sped up, catching up to the blue car.

Evan had been surprised when he saw the cars. Sure, he'd seen fancy cars around Los Angeles before, but he'd never been in one. His mom's car was used, it's seats worn and stained from various drinks over the years. It constantly needed work they couldn't afford so it mostly sat unused in their driveway. Tyler's black and white Corvette seemed to sparkle from it's polish under the morning sunlight. Beside it was Jonathan's blue BMW, just as perfect as Tyler's. Jonathan had stared at Evan from where he leant against the hood of his car as Evan walked towards him with Craig and Tyler. He had nothing but the clothes on his back and a water bottle Craig gave him for the drive, so he had offered to carry some of Craig's medical stuff but Craig had shaken his head with a smile. As Craig packed the bags into Jonathan's car, the black and white Corvette's lights blinked as it unlocked beside Evan who had stood awkwardly by the cars, afraid to even touch them.

"Getting in?" Tyler asked him as he opened the driver's door and got in. Evan had stared at him with shock for a few moments before finally getting in cautiously.

Now, they sped down the highway, the engine roaring over the music that had been playing over the radio. Reaching his hand out through the window to feel the air through his fingers, he felt like if he were on his bike now, he could take both hands off the handlebars. The blue car ahead of them changed lanes, heading towards an exit.

"Where are they going?" Evan managed to call out over the noise.

"Oceanside. We know a great burger place." Tyler answered, following the other car towards the exit. Evan hadn't been to Oceanside before. He knew it had a great beach but it was always full of tourists.

"I've never been."

"What?" Tyler laughed a little. Evan shrugged, looking back out the window. A few minutes later, they were driving down a road lined with palm trees, some of the buildings seeming like they were out a movie set in the fifties. Looking down some of the streets, past the tall beach houses, Evan caught glimpses of the blue ocean. They stopped a small diner just up the street from the pier, heading inside where they were greeted by the smell of french fries and frying burgers, the cold air conditioner a relief on the hot day. Craig got a table while Tyler got them whatever they wanted. "Were you guys trying to race?" Tyler asked Jonathan and Craig as he and Evan set their trays down on the white table. There was a single plastic flower on the table, which got pushed to the side to make room.

"Oh like you weren't speeding up!" Craig laughed as he took his fries from the tray. Evan watched them as he took a sip from his soda, smiling a little when Tyler pretended to deny speeding up to race up after them. He lost track of their conversation though for he found that he was more hungry than he'd ever been, even stealing a few of Tyler's fries.

"Hey slow down kid, you're gonna barf." Tyler laughed, a slightly grossed out expression on his face. Evan ignored him.

After lunch, they walked down the street to the beach. It was busy, but they didn't mind, kicking off their shoes to walk down the beach. The sand was warm under Evan's feet. He forgot about everything that had happened to get him here. For the first time in awhile, he felt content, he didn't have to worry. Rolling up his jeans, Evan stepped into the water, the waves splashing up around his shins as he walked, his right hand held his red shoes. The hazy sunlight made the ocean sparkle. Everything seemed to glow in the warm hazy light. When they got back to their cars, there was sand in Evan's shoes.

It was early afternoon by the time they approached L.A, but the highway quickly got busy, the sports cars having to slow down. Tyler tapped his hands against the steering wheel, anxious to be out of traffic. Evan found himself tensing up for no reason, his chest feeling heavy again. He took a deep breath, his dark eyes straight ahead at the slow moving traffic.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked. Evan nodded. "We'll be there soon once we get out of this traffic." Evan turned his head to look out his window. In the lane beside the Corvette, a black Cadillac came to a stop as the lane it was in slowed. Evan found himself reaching for Tyler's arm, anxiety and fear bringing tears to his eyes. He had seen that car before. It had been at the warehouse. Tyler looked at him, confused before following his gaze to the Cadillac. "It's okay. Don't look at it." Tyler instructed as he reached for the screen on the dashboard. He pressed the phone button and found Jonathan on his contacts. The sound of the phone ringing filled the car.

"Yeah?" Jonathan answered.

"We got Brian's guys in the crowd. Watch yourselves." Tyler said as the lane picked up a little bit. The car crept forward a little bit before stopping again.

"We're behind you. Craig's got eyes on the Cadillac. I'll call Lui, see if he's got eyes on us and if not, make sure he will soon." Jonathan said.

"Good. Follow my lead if things get nasty." Tyler said and hung up. Evan was gripping his seat belt tightly. He couldn't breathe."Hey, hey...You're okay. They can't hurt you." Tyler gave him a smile. "Think about the beach, about lunch. That was fun, right?" Evan nodded. "Good, good. Just think about that. Don't look at the car. Keep your eyes forward, it's okay." Evan tried to focus on anything but the car beside him. He could hear a helicopter fly overhead and car horns. It felt uncomfortably hot, as if a neon light was burning down him. With shaking hands, he reached for his waterbottle, managing to get the cap off. He drank half of it before putting the cap back on. The lane on the other side of the car was moving faster now but they remained stuck beside the Cadillac.

A sudden bang made Evan jump. Tyler swore, reaching into his jacket for a black handgun. Evan stared at it with wide eyes as Tyler turned in his seat. The driver's window of the Cadillac was down and Evan saw the gun. With the back window of the Corvette down, Tyler pulled the trigger. The sound deafened Evan's ears, making him flinch. Sparks flew off the mirror of the Cadillac. "Hold on." Pulling the wheel sharply, the Corvette suddenly took off, managing to get into the next lane. There were more gunshots. Evan heard someone scream. The car swerved through traffic, narrowly missing other vehicles. In the door mirror, Evan saw the Cadillac following them. Close behind, the blue car suddenly swerved out of its lane into another, catching up to them. Evan felt sick. His knuckles went white around his seatbelt.

He looked back in time to see Ryan lean out of the Cadillac's passenger window, firing his gun at the Corvette. Evan screamed as a bullet shattered the mirror on the door, glass flying through the air. "Fucking Christ!" Tyler swore. Gun shots echoed across the highway. Looking over his shoulder, Evan saw the Cadillac swerve aggressively. Evan got a glimpse of the blue car and Craig leaning out the window, gun in hand. He hadn't imagined Craig as someone violent before but he watched Craig shoot at the Cadillac with amazement, the bullets sparking off the roof and hitting the side mirror on Ryan's side. When Craig paused to reload, Ryan leaned out and shot back at him. Craig ducked quickly back into the blue car only to reappear a few moments later, shooting at Ryan. Blood splattered onto the hood of the Cadillac, Ryan's arm skimmed by a bullet. Overhead, a helicopter flew lower than it should.

The Cadillac suddenly disappeared from view as the Corvette slid into another lane, cutting off another car before moving into another lane and sped up even more. The Cadillac reemerged from the crowd of cars, now on Tyler's side. Evan could see Ryan's smile as the black car caught up to them, his gun aimed at Tyler.

"Tyler!" Evan yelled. Pulling his gaze away from the road for a second, Tyler fired at the Cadillac repeatedly. Ryan and the driver ducked as bullets cracked the glass and dented metal, causing them to slow down. Taking the advantage, Tyler sped up the Corvette, sending them shooting forward, narrowly avoiding other cars. Heading towards an exit, Tyler stepped on the gas, the force pinning Evan to his seat as the car sped up the ramp, and turned sharply, drifting around the corner before straightening out and kept going. Evan looked back but saw nothing.

"T-They...They are gone…" Evan managed to say. "Please slow down…" He heaved for air. He was going to be sick if Tyler didn't stop. Seeing the sick look on his face, Tyler slowed as they came to a stop light.

"You're okay. Just breathe. We'll stop soon." Tyler promised. Evan nodded, looking out his window. There was a silver car beside them, the driver looking tired from sitting in traffic. Evan wished that his only problem he had to worry about. Slowly letting go of his seat belt, Evan wished to be home more than anything in the world. He'd rather face going to school and the anxiety that came with it than this. He looked back at the man in the silver car, tears stinging his eyes. He didn't know if they were tears of sadness or pain from nausea.

Something moved out of the corner his eye. In the lane on the other side of the silver car, the black Cadillac came to a stop. Evan's heart felt like it was going to stop, his eyes widening. Ryan and the driver aimed their guns towards them. Tyler reached for Evan's shoulder, gripping the back of his black shirt, yelling at him to get down. The driver of the silver car turned his head slowly towards the Corvette at the sound of Tyler's yell.

They fired.

Before they could react, blood burst from the driver's window of the silver car splattering onto the black and white Corvette and through Evan's open window. Tyler pushed Evan down as more bullets flew off the car. Evan could feel the blood dripping down his face and soaking his black t-shirt. It turned his neck red. There was a screech of tyres as the Cadillac took off. "Fuck. Fuck! Fuck!" Tyler stepped on the gas, speeding up as fast the car would go. Evan sat up, his eyes welling up with tears. He placed a shaking hand to the blood on his face, staring at his palm that came away red. As the world flew by around them, Evan wished for it to stop.

Someone, someone who had a normal life, had just died and their blood was now dripping down Evan's face and the side of the white car. He had just watched someone die in the most violent and sudden way possible. Evan couldn't stop the tears that fell from his eyes.

Red flowers on the side of the road danced in the wind as the Corvette drove past only to go still a few moments later.


	4. Chapter 4

The world flew by in a blur. The only thing Evan could focus on was the blood on his hands. The car suddenly came to a jolting stop, sending Evan forward suddenly, the seat belt digging into his shoulder painfully. Evan looked up, seeing that Tyler had parked in a random back alley. He still gripped the steering wheel tightly, his eyes wide.

"They killed him…" Evan whispered, his voice weak. "They killed him and didn't care…"

"I know." Tyler sighed. "I know." He finally let go of the steering wheel. "This shit happens a lot...Just normal people get caught in it like that guy…" He stopped then, looking at Evan with sad eyes. "Like you." He suddenly pulled Evan into a hug, blood smearing on his jacket. He pressed his face against Tyler's chest, sobs shaking his shoulders. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Evan stammered out. He moved away from the hug, taking a deep breath to try to calm himself. He wasn't sure about what he wanted to say, knowing that it would confirm to Tyler that he knew the code but he couldn't let Tyler take the responsibility for what happened. "I climbed the fence." He put his blood hands over his face, wanting to scream. He knew Tyler was staring at him.

"Evan." He didn't look up at Tyler. "Evan. Look at me." Doing as he was told, Evan lowered his hands and looked up at Tyler. His tears turned red as they fell down his face. "You don't have to do this alone...Tell me what the code is. You don't have to bare it alone. Please...You're just a kid. If I know it...then Brian will leave you alone sooner... Just tell me." His voice broke. Evan bit his lip to stop himself from sobbing again. He had promised Adam.

"I'm sorry…" Evan shook his head, sniffling. "I promised him. I can't tell. I can't tell anyone, not even you." Tyler ran a hand through his blond hair. There were specks of dried blood in it. Tyler suddenly punched the steering wheel, making Evan jump and press himself against the door, his hand on the handle to open it.

"I just want to save them, Evan...I just want to save them from that fucking monster…" Tyler sounded like he was going to cry. "Craig, Jonathan...all of them...Are my responsibility...I saved them once...I have to do it again. That code….Will save them, my family."

"Tyler...I…" Evan didn't know what to say.

"God…" Tyler put a hand over his face. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to get angry."

"It's okay." Evan's voice was almost a breath.

"If you can't tell me…" Tyler lowered his hand, meeting Evan's wide-eyed stare. "Then, please...Can you save them for me?"

Jonathan and Craig found them ten minutes later. Tyler and Evan had been silent since Tyler's question, and watched the alley around them. In the rearview mirror, the blue BMW had gone past before reversing and coming to a stop. The doors opened, both of them getting out and hurried over to the car.

"Oh my fucking God...Evan!" Craig had seen the blood. Evan looked up when Craig appeared by the window, looking at him with wide eyes. "Oh my god." He pulled the door open, cupping the sides of Evan's head to see if he was hurt. "Whose blood is this? What happened?" Craig cried when he saw that Evan wasn't hurt, his gaze turning to Tyler.

"It was just this guy...He got caught in the middle of us and they shot anyways...Killed him." Tyler had explained. "They took off after that."

"We should clean you guys up and get the blood off the car before you get pulled over by some cop." Jonathan said. Evan had turned his wide eyed gaze up to Jonathan who for the first time, smiled at him. It had made him feel a little better. "That'll probably be in the news so let's get out of sight quick." And they did. Not wanting to let Ryan and his driver follow them if they were still out there, they drove to a garage owned by one of Tyler's friends who introduced himself as Max.

"Let's get that blood off you." Tyler had said, reaching into the back for something. "There's a laundromat down the street so we can wash your clothes while we wait. I got some for you to wear in the meantime." He pulled out a red and white jacket and a t-shirt from the back, handing them to Evan who stared down at them, doubting that they would fit. "That jacket's got a story. Don't get blood on it or anything." Tyler had said with a small smile, trying to make light of the situation. Evan didn't laugh. Tyler sighed and reached back into his car for a couple of napkins. Evan had flinched back a little as Tyler wiped the blood off Evan's face as a parent would clean their child's face after a messy dinner.

"Tyler." Evan had moved away, taking the tissues from him. "I got it."

"Shut up, I almost got it all." Roughly, he got the last of the blood of Evan's cheek, the napkin scraping at his cheek. When Tyler let go of him, Evan found his way to the small bathroom and as soon as the door closed, he started to cry. The red jacket and the t-shirt had slipped from his hands, dropping to the floor as he leaned against the door, his shoulders shaking as sobs choked him. He struggled to breathe through the sobs, slowly sliding down the door to the floor beside the jacket. His hand curled around the leather of the red jacket and he suddenly threw it across the room in anger, letting out a small cry. He stayed there on the floor, crying until there was a small knock on the door.

"Hey, kid?" It was Jonathan. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Evan said weakly. Slowly he had gotten up, wincing as he pulled the bloody black t-shirt off and cleaned the rest of the blood off his neck. His sides and some of his chest were still dark, coloured purple, yellow and green from bruises.

Now, Evan sat on top of a dryer that wasn't being used, wearing the red and white jacket that surprisingly fit well, but the t-shirt was baggy. He watched the washing machines that lined the wall and the constant turning. A neon light buzzed in the window. A plastic palm tree was illuminated pink in the neon glow.

"Here. You should eat something." Evan's eyes looked down at the chocolate bar in Tyler's hand. He shook his head, remembering the heat of the day that had melted the chocolate in Adam's hand. Tyler sighed and set it down the dryer beside Evan, leaning against the machine. "You don't talk much do you? That's okay, I'm not asking you to. I just want you know that's okay, especially after what happened. All of us...we've gotten a taste of it over the years. I mean, I told you what Brian did to my hand." Tyler curled his right hand into a loose fist. He winced a little and shook it out. "Craig almost got shot in the head once...but that's his story to tell. What I'm trying to say is, we know how...disturbing it is to see death like that. I just can't imagine what it's like for you...I mean, I was young when I found myself on the streets but I had wanted to be there. I knew what I was getting into." Tyler stopped, cracking open the pop can in his hand. Evan looked out the window, the pink neon making the red of his jacket look softer.

"Do you think he knew?" Evan whispered. Tyler's brow furrowed.

"What?"

"Do you think that man that Ryan killed...had any idea that he was going to die today? He probably spent the day doing things as usual...But do you think he had any idea that every second was ticking closer and closer to when we would appear in his rearview mirror with that Cadillac behind us?" Evan turned his head slowly to look back at Tyler. "Did something tell him not to take that exit but he did anyways? You say that you encounter death all the time...don't you wonder how long your countdown is? Will you know it when it gets down to the seconds?"

"That's a bit deep, kid." Tyler took a sip from his pop, trying to not look unnerved by what he had said. Evan picked up the chocolate bar, looking down it's bright red wrapper.

"I think Adam knew…" Gritting his teeth, Evan ripped open the wrapper and broke off a piece, biting into it. He was aware of Tyler watching him so he kept his eyes down, breaking off another piece of chocolate.

"I thought I knew once." Tyler said quietly. At that, Evan's head snapped up, looking up at Tyler with a curious expression. "It wasn't the time with the hammer...It was a couple of months ago."

"Luke?" Evan couldn't stop himself from saying the name. Tyler only nodded.

"I had a feeling that someone wasn't as loyal as they said they were, but I had ignored it. I didn't want to believe it. I didn't want to think about it. The idea that someone who I was close to, who we're all close to, wanted to betray us. It scared me...It was stupid of me not to listen."

 _As the white Corvette turned the corner, Tyler had to step on his breaks suddenly, the car skidding forward before coming to a stop. The blue BMW was stopped in the middle of the road, both doors open. There was blood on the blue paint._

" _Shit." Tyler pulled his gun from his jacket and got out of his car. "Jonathan? Luke?" There was no answer. Both had disappeared. Tyler swore again, reaching into pocket for his phone. Lights flared behind him as he turned to see the black and yellow Dodge Charger turn the corner, coming to a stop behind Tyler's car._

" _What's going on?" Marcel's voice called out._

" _Luke and Jon are gone." Tyler called back. He heard the Charger's doors open and close, Marcel and Craig hurrying to join Tyler as he made his way slowly towards the BMW. Jonathan had been driving, he didn't let anyone else drive his car. He had been leading the way towards their rendezvous point with Brock and Smitty, when he had suddenly sped up, leaving Tyler and Marcel having to catch up. As he reached the driver's door, Tyler's chest tightened. There was blood on the steering wheel. Something horrible had happened._

" _Tyler!" Jonathan suddenly yelled. He looked from the car to see Jonathan illuminated by the car's headlights and the gun held to his head. Luke's grip tightened on the gun._

" _Luke? What is this? What's happening?" Tyler took a cautious step forward._

" _Put your gun down." Luke snapped._

" _Let him go, Luke. Let's talk about this." Tyler kept his voice steady. "Let's just talk."_

" _Put your gun down." Luke said again. Tyler didn't move. He looked between Luke and Jonathan who's nose was bleeding, blood dripping onto his shirt. He looked back at Marcel and Craig who, fearing for Jonathan's life, nodded. Tyler slowly put his gun down, kicking it across the pavement towards Luke._

" _There. It's down. Let's talk now. What's going on?" Tyler said, holding a hand out as he took a careful step forward._

" _You're not going go up the road." Luke snarled. Tyler's brow furrowed._

" _Why?"_

" _This job isn't yours anymore." Tyler's hands curled into fists. "You're going to let the cars that are on their way right now pass. Don't try to fight this." Luke snapped._

" _Did Brian put you up to this? Did you make a deal with Brian? You know you aren't supposed to do that, Luke! You know that he'll screw you over!" Tyler cried. Luke didn't say anything. He was waiting for Tyler to obey his instructions. They could hear cars coming up the hill._

" _What about Brock and Smitty?" Craig cried. "They are still up there!" Tyler made eye contact with Jonathan, whose face seemed oddly calm._

" _Forget about them." Luke said. Tyler couldn't do that. Taking a deep breath, he turned and bolted towards his car. His hand curled around the side of the open door as a loud bang reverberated through the night air. Tyler gasped, a white hot pain surging through his body from his shoulder. His knees buckled under him, sending him falling to the pavement, his hand clutching the door in an attempt to keep himself up. Craig was there, his arms around Tyler. He could hear raised voices and another bang. Tyler struggled to breath, feeling hot blood oozing down his back as he fell forward, his hand slipping from the car door._

" _Tyler!" Craig called out, his voice sounding far away. Tyler lay on the hot pavement, staring at the edge of the road and the faint glitter of lights from the city in the distance. Tyres squealed and there was a loud crash, metal bending under metal. Marcel yelled something and there were more gunshots. There was pressure on his back, pinning him down to the pavement. The thought occurred to him that this was the end; that he would die and leave his family alone to fend for themselves. He was going to die because he didn't want to think about the idea that someone was a liar. "Stay with me….Stay with me!" Craig called out from somewhere in the darkness that surrounded Tyler, blocking out the world. He didn't try to fight it._

"I woke up at home, all patched up. I thought I was dead. I thought for sure that this was some weird afterlife, till the pain kicked in and I realised I was still alive. Craig explained everything to me. Luke had been planning with Brain for weeks leading up to that night. Luke got away, getting a ride with some of Brian's guys who took off when they saw that Luke hadn't been successful in stopping us, but they did see that he had shot me. I'll never forget the look on Brian's face when he saw me next, alive and fairly well." Tyler laughed, but after a few moments, his smile faded again. "I haven't seen much of Luke since. He was the first person to join me. The first member of my family. I still can't accept what happened…" Evan looked ahead at the spinning machines, imagining himself there.

He imagined that he had ridden up the hill with Tyler in the Corvette and his own fear at seeing the BMW. He imagined that he was there when they saw Luke and his hostage. Evan imagined that he had given cover for Tyler as he ran, not afraid of the weapon in his hand. If only he were a hero like Tyler was, if only he had been there. Looking down at the chocolate bar in his hand that was starting to melt, he wondered what he really would have done if he were there. He wasn't strong, he was afraid. He probably would have been frozen in place, and cried when he tried to put pressure on Tyler's wound, blood covering his hands and pooling on the pavement. "I don't think I'll ever accept it." Tyler breathed, bringing Evan back to reality.

The pink neon light in the window buzzed and flickered.

Evening wind pulled at Evan's hair and drifted through his spread fingers. He held his hand out the window of the Corvette, now repaired and clean. In the rearview mirror, he could see the blue BMW following them through the palm tree lined streets of L.A towards what Tyler called home. When Evan saw the street that would take him home, he had turned to Tyler, almost expecting him to turn onto it but he kept going straight.

Leaning his head back against the seat, Evan tried to resist the air flowing around the car with his hand only to have it pushed back, so he moved his hand up and down slowly, allowing it to float on the wind. A few minutes later, near the heart of L.A, the car turned into a parking garage, coming to a stop a few moments later beside a black and yellow Charger. As Tyler turned the key and got out, Evan stayed for a moment longer, taking a breath to calm his nerves before getting out. He followed Tyler towards a heavy metal door, Jonathan and Craig joining them, both carrying Craig's supplies. Tyler held the door for them, and lead the way to elevator once they were inside. Evan hadn't been in such a nice place like this before. The elevator looked like it was made of glass coloured a shimmering sea green, the floor polished. He looked around the brightly lit elevator, his gaze landing on the red numbers that counted slowly up. Standing in the middle of these gangsters in this glittering elevator, Evan could only wonder what their apartment looked like. He fidgeted with the sleeve of his red jacket, watching the numbers slowly tick up.

When the doors finally opened, Evan followed Tyler and the others down the hall to a door which Tyler unlocked and pushed open. The sound of music and laughter surrounded Evan. The smell of food reminded him how hungry he was.

"Where the hell have you been?" A new voice asked. Nervously, Evan stepped closer to Tyler, almost stepping on his heels as he walked into the large apartment. It was all open, the far wall only windows. A hallway lead off to other rooms on the far side. In the living room where large, expensive couches, a big TV and a coffee table that was currently covered in Chinese take-out containers. The large kitchen was a bit cluttered, but such a beautiful place made it seem like nothing. Most of all, it was so bright. Evan's home was never this bright, this open.

"A couple of Brian's guys caught up to us so we had to lay low for a little bit before coming back." Tyler explained, walking across the room to lean against the side of one of the couches where four men were sitting, plates on their laps or empty on the table. Evan wanted to follow him but instead, he stayed by the entrance, fidgeting with his sleeve again. He didn't know what to do, he wasn't sure if he was really welcome or not.

"Hungry? I'm sure we got something." Craig said to Evan as he headed towards the kitchen. Evan nodded and started to follow him.

"Who's he?" Evan stopped.

"Evan. The kid we found who Brian had beat the hell out of. You know that, Daithi." Tyler explained. He waved Evan over who only moved when Jonathan and Craig gave him a reassuring smile. "Evan, this is Daithi, Brock, Marcel and Smitty." Tyler gestured to each of the four. Only Brock smiled at him.

"I thought you said you weren't letting anyone join after what Luke did." Marcel said as he set his plate down on the table. Evan looked back over his shoulder at Jonathan who was in the kitchen with Craig but Evan had a feeling that he was listening. "Why are you letting this kid join?"

"He's going home once this is done." Tyler crossed his arms. "I know we're all still shocked and upset because of what Luke did but that isn't reason to take it out on him."

"Do you know the code?" Smitty asked Evan who said nothing.

"Did he tell Brian the code?" Marcel demanded. "Has he told you the code?"

"Stop it. We're not getting into that right now, okay?" Tyler snapped. He straightened up and headed down the hall, leaving Evan alone in the large room with people he didn't know. Fidgeting with his sleeve, Evan turned away from the four sitting around the coffee table and walked towards the windows. He'd never seen Los Angeles from this high up before. With the sun setting over the water, the city was a silhouette before him, dotted with glittering lights.

"The door opens." Jonathan laughed, pushing the sliding door opened beside Evan who watched Jonathan step out onto the balcony. Evan glanced back at the others and followed Jonathan outside.

"It's beautiful." Evan said quietly.

"Yeah." Jonathan leant against the railing looking out over the city. They could hear sirens in the distance. On one side of the balcony was a row of flower pots, the flowers bright and blossoming. Evan wondered who tended to them. "You're really brave, I hope you know that." Jonathan said. Evan looked up at him, nodding slowly. "You're braver than me. If I was you and Brian left me for dead…" Jonathan shook his head. "Don't listen to them if they say anything to you." Jonathan gestured to the guys inside. "They're just as scared as you are since Luke left. It's as if Brian can get in anyone's head. Tyler told me that you didn't tell him the code when he asked. You didn't tell Brian even when he almost killed you, did you?"

"I promised." Evan said, his eyes on the glittering lights.

Jonathan laughed, looking back out over the city. "Yeah...You're braver than me."


	5. Chapter 5

There was a vase of roses on the counter by the sink in the large, marble bathroom. Standing in front of the sink, his black hair looking spiky after his shower, Evan wiped away some of the steam on the mirror. He looked exhausted.

The water had turned a light pink colour as it washed the dried blood out of his hair. He had watched it pool around his feet before swirling down the drain. Watching the bloody water go down the drain, he had pressed down on the top of his right hand, feeling veins and bone as he put pressure on it.

Now, staring at the dark circles under his eyes, Evan wanted nothing more than to sleep. He wanted to crawl into his bed at home even though he had always thought that the blankets were too thin. He wanted to wake up in the morning and none of this would have happened. That wasn't going to happen though.

Putting on the sweatpants and shirt that Craig gave him, Evan stifled a yawn. The red of the leather jacket folded on the counter was the same red as the roses in the glass vase. He ran a hand through his damp hair to flatten it and picked up his clothes, opening the door. He stepped into the hallway, looking towards the living room that was illuminated by the glow of the TV. He could hear low talking but couldn't make out any of the words.

"Feel better?" Evan turned, seeing Craig emerge from a dimly lit room at the end of the hall. Evan nodded. "Good. Tyler's given you his room. Get comfy and if you need anything, my room's just down there." He pointed to the first door in the hallway. Evan nodded again as he slowly stepped past Craig into the large bedroom. Like the rest of the apartment, one wall was tall windows. It was minimal, only blacks, silvers and whites found throughout the room. Like the bathroom, there was a large vase of roses on the dresser. Beside it was the pig mask.

"What about Tyler?" Evan asked, turning to look at Craig who remained in the doorway.

"Don't worry about it. He insisted. You need your sleep." Craig reassured him. Evan nodded, setting his neatly folded pile of clothes down on the dresser beside the mask.

"Craig." Evan said quietly as he started to close the door. He stopped, meeting Evan's gaze. "Thank you."

"There's no need to. It's what I do." Craig smiled. "It's what I always wanted to do." Evan's brow furrowed. "It's a long story." Evan shrugged. Craig stepped back into the room, his gaze on the view for a few moments. Evan sat down on the large bed, waiting for Craig to say something.

"I left home as soon I graduated high school to go to university. I was going into the medical field, nursing to start off with and then from there, I'd see where I'd go. I wanted to help people. I've never been scared of blood. I was only a couple years into my degree when it got to a point that the money my parents left me was running out. So I had to get a job to keep my place and go to school. It was tight. I would study at work even though my boss hated it. Like we ever really got anyone in there anyway."

 _The faded posters in the window of the convenience store reflected the red and blue glow of the open sign. The aisles lined with everything from snacks to condoms were empty. The refrigerators hummed. Craig tapped his pen against the plastic counter top, his heavy textbook and notebook open in front of him. His manager had stopped giving him a hard time about it a few weeks ago when Craig showed up to work almost on the verge of tears when he didn't do as well as he wanted on his midterm. He hadn't had any customers for hours, the last two being a mom and her young son who Craig guessed was barely in high school. It was only two more hours until the store closed and he could go home where he would continue to study for another hour before falling asleep at his desk. The last time, his blue pen had broken under his face and there was ink everywhere._

 _His head nodded forward and he had to catch himself. Straightening up, Craig stretched, fighting back a yawn. He checked the time. Barely five minutes had gone by since the last time he'd checked it. Craig sighed, leaning back against the counter to write down more definitions. The bell tied to the door clanged against the glass as it opened. Craig looked up, seeing a tall blond man enter and give him a nod. Craig wrote down one more definition before closing his notebook. He straightened his shirt, glancing up at the mirror to see where the man had gone. He was by one of the fridges, deciding on a pop._

 _The bell on the door clanged. Craig turned only to come face to face with the barrel of a gun._

" _Money. Now." A harsh voice snapped. Craig couldn't move, fear freezing him in place. He stared at the gun, trying to think of what to do if he were shot. Of course, he hadn't been shot yet but with every passing second that he couldn't move, the possibility got higher. "The fucking money!"_

" _Okay!" Craig finally moved, putting his hands up. "Okay!" He took a hesitant step towards the register, pushing the button to open the door._

" _Hurry the fuck up! All of it!" The man yelled. Craig's hands were shaking as he reached for the bills, handing them to the man who stuffed them into a bag. In his panic, a few slipped from his hands, falling to the floor by his feet. Craig glanced down at them nervously. "Fucks sake! I can do this myself!" The man raised his gun. The gunshot echoed through the store. Craig flinched violently, stumbling to the side. The bullet had missed, colliding with the wall behind him._

" _Hey!" Someone suddenly yelled. There was another gunshot. A cry of shock and then another gunshot. Blood splattered onto Craig's textbook. Craig opened his eyes slowly. There were flecks of blood on his glasses. The tall blond man stood a few feet away, his arm bloody. In his hand was a gun. The robber lay on the white floor, blood pooling around him and turned the bills red._

" _Oh my god...Oh my god...Oh my fucking god." Craig stammered. "Oh my god…"_

" _You're okay. Don't freak out." The blond man said, taking a step towards him. "You're okay."_

" _He's dying!"_

" _I know! I shot him."_

" _You didn't have to shoot him!"_

" _He shot at you first!"_

" _You're bleeding." Craig shakily got around the counter, moving towards the man who looked down at his arm._

" _Damn it."_

" _I can take care of it. Just need some stitches, pain killer and some time. You'll be okay." Craig said quietly, finding himself forgetting his fear by falling into his nursing, trying to think only about what he could do to help and not the body on the floor. "It just skimmed you so hopefully there won't be any of the bullet in there." Craig said as he rolled up the sleeve, seeing the wound on his arm._

" _You know how to take care of it?" The man sounded surprised. Craig nodded, hurrying behind the counter to find the store's first aid. He should be calling the police but something was stopping him. Craig stopped, looking at the store's phone on the wall. "Are you going to call the police?"_

" _He's dying." Craig gestured to the man laying on the white floor._

" _I'd like it if you didn't. At least not yet..." The man said quietly. Craig ran a hand through his hair. Someone on the street must have heard the shots. Jf he didn't call, someone already must have. "I'm not gonna hurt you or anything. I promise. Just please, don't call."_

" _I have to." Craig grabbed the phone and called. The man looked disappointed but at the same time, he understood. Craig didn't tell them about the blond man, only that the robber had been shot by someone else. When he hung up, he made quick work of the wound on the man's arm, cleaning it and wrapped it tightly in gauze. "You'll have to get it stitched when paramedics show up."_

" _I have to go." The man sighed._

" _I'm sorry…"_

" _It's okay. You did the right thing." He smiled at him before hurrying from the store, leaving Craig alone with the body. He didn't like lying to police officers but when they arrived, he only told parts of what happened._

" _He shot him because he tried to kill me. It was for protection." Craig had explained, neon red and blue lights flashing around him. When asked a few days later why he patched up the man's wound, Craig only said that he felt like it was the least he could do for saving his life._

 _It was midnight a couple weeks later, and Craig was back at work, studying like he had before. The bell clanged. He looked up and saw the blond man standing in front of him._

" _Hey…"_

" _Hi." Craig straightened up, setting his pen down. He hadn't expected to see him again._

" _I wanted to thank you. My name's Tyler. I'm sorry I took off like that, I'm just invol-"_

" _I get it." Craig said with a smile. "I'm Craig."_

" _I got that from your name tag." Tyler laughed. "You're studying for med school, right?" Craig nodded. "I'm in need of a medic, someone who knows how to deal with wounds like the one I got. It'll be a bit more exciting, but I won't make you do anything you don't want to do. The pay will be sparse, to begin with, but I know it'll get better." Tyler explained with a smile. Craig stared at him, trying to wrap his head around what he had just offered him. Could he really leave everything behind and join this complete stranger in what seemed like a life of crime? It didn't seem real at all. "You can sleep on it if you want. Here's my number." Tyler took Craig's pen and wrote down his phone number on the top of the page in his notebook. "I'll see you around."_

"I stared at the number for days, just thinking about it and what would happen if I called it. I thought about the money, that if I stayed in school would come much, much later. I thought about what my parents would think. I thought about how exciting and how terrifying life would be if I called. I thought about how safe it would be if I didn't." Craig was now sitting beside Evan on the bed. Evan had watched him as he explained what happened and imagined himself there and knew that if he were Tyler, he would have done the same thing. He also would have done the same thing as Craig, knowing that his hands would have shaken as he called the police. "I called him and the rest is history." Craig shrugged. "I think this is a far better life than anything else. I was alone before I joined Tyler. Now I'm never alone."

Evan was dreaming that he was back in the Corvette, the wind whipping through the open window. His hand was stretched out the window, petals floating through the air and slipped through his fingers. Flowers were growing from the dashboard. He turned his head slowly, seeing Tyler driving only his head was a pig's. He looked back out the window. The black Cadillac was beside them now, Ryan's gun aimed at his head. There was no silver car in between them.

"What's the code?" A voice laughed.

"No." Evan shook his head.

"What's the code?"

"No!"

"What is the code?" The voice screamed in rage.

"No!" Evan yelled back. There was a gunshot. Petals the colour of blood floated through the car.

Evan awoke with a small cry, sitting up in the large bed. He was sweating. An overwhelming wave of nausea rolled over him. Gagging, Evan managed to get out of the bed, scrambling for the door which he pulled open and stumbled into the bathroom. He threw up what little dinner he had eaten, clutching the sides of the toilet as tears of pain streamed down his face. It burned the back of his throat, his lungs aching with every gasp and heave.

When he was done, he fell back against the wall. He felt a bit better. He stayed there for a little while, looking up at the white ceiling and the glow of the light, a chill shaking his shoulders. The roses on the counter looked bloody in the light, the glass vase sparkling in the glow.

Unable to taste anything but bile, Evan slowly got up, his legs shaking as he washed his hands and splashed cold water on his face before turning off the light and slowly made his way down the hall.

The balcony light was on.

From where he stood, Evan could see Jonathan leaning against the rail, his phone held to his ear. Who was he talking to this late at night? Jonathan turned, running a hand through his hair before he snarled something to whomever he was talking to. Evan ducked out of sight, fearing that he might have seen him. He couldn't hear what Jonathan was saying. Forgetting about the cup of water he wanted, Evan tip toed back down the hallway to the bathroom, cupping some water in his hands before sneaking back into the bedroom as he heard the sliding door open.

Pulling the heavy, soft blanket over his head, Evan almost forgot about it as he fell back into a deep sleep.

The black and white Corvette sped through the streets of L.A, heading towards a small helicopter pad outside of town. Evan watched the city fly by, the wind playing with his hair and tugged at the collar of his red jacket. Tyler had woken Evan up that morning after letting him sleep till eleven and told him they were going to meet someone named Lui, another member of Tyler's family. Craig had been reluctant to let Evan go with Tyler after he had barely eaten his breakfast that Brock made.

"Are you feeling okay?" Craig had asked. Evan nodded. "Do you need painkillers or anything? Don't be afraid to ask."

"I just had a nightmare last night." Evan had said quietly.

"What about?" Jonathan asked from behind him, making him jump. Evan turned to look at Jonathan as he sat down beside him, coffee mug in hand. Evan shrugged. "I used to get them a lot at first. Not so much anymore." Jonathan gave Evan a smile. "I'm here to talk if you want to." Evan nodded, but it scared him to think that it was possible to go numb to these kinds of things.

Now, leaning his head back on the headrest of the seat, he wished he had eaten more. Watching the city fly by, Evan realised just how little he had seen of it. He always stayed to the few small blocks around his home, never going far. He'd never been to the pier, or even downtown much. He'd never seen the world outside of L.A before all this happened. It seemed that was the only good thing to have come out of this. He had been so scared in his tiny world, it seemed so insignificant now.

"When we get there, don't wander off or anything. Lui's got a lot of stuff lying around that's dangerous so just do me a favour and don't touch anything." Tyler said as he took the next exit off the highway. A couple of minutes later, they arrived at a small airfield, two hangers nearby.

"I'm not a child." Evan wished his voice was stronger when he said that. Tyler laughed as he parked the car. Taking the keys out of the ignition, Tyler got out of the car. Once more, Evan stayed in the car, taking a breath for a few moments before getting out.

"We need to talk." A voice suddenly, catching Evan off guard as he closed the door. He looked up to see Tyler walking towards a man in military green pants and a t-shirt, his boots tightly laced up.

"I got here as soon as I could." Tyler called out as he approached him. Evan stayed back, his eyes landing on a large dark green box near one of the hangers. The letters R.L was written in black marker on the side of it.

"They attacked me last night, Tyler! They knew my route! They attacked me on it! How did they know?" The man yelled.

"You didn't tell me that part, Lui! How am I supposed to know?" Tyler yelled back. "Fucking christ…"

"Does this have something to do with that kid and the code?" Lui snapped. Evan looked away from the box to Lui who finally noticed him. "Is that the kid?"

"Leave him out of it. It's not his fault." Tyler cried.

"Then whose is it?"

"I don't know who told Brian where to go. Just tell me the details and we'll figure it out. We have to be a lot more careful now with everything going on lately." Tyler sighed.

"He's not joining us. You made a promise, Tyler." Lui spat. "I know I'm not the only one that feels this way. We can't trust him. How do you know that he hasn't told Brian the code and he's only alive because he made a deal with him?"

"Because he made a promise to Adam!" Tyler suddenly yelled. "I don't care if you don't want to, I need you to trust him or we're all going to fall apart! Brian wants us to fall apart! Please, let's figure this out. I promise you, Evan had nothing to do with the attack on you last night."

"Do the guys believe that? Do they believe that Evan isn't working with Brian?" Lui asked. Tyler looked back at Evan who had been watching them the whole time, anger and sadness bubbling up in his chest. Tyler said something to Lui that Evan couldn't hear. He hoped they believed that he hadn't made a deal with Brain. He'd never do that, never break his promise with Adam. "You had better make sure." Lui said to Tyler before he turned, walking towards his helicopter. Evan recognised it from the day before when it had followed them overhead as the Cadillac chased them. Evan kept his distance, but followed after Tyler and Lui, not wanting to be alone in the open.

"Tell me what happened." Tyler said, his eyes on bullet holes on the side of the helicopter. Catching up to Tyler, Evan stood close to him as he looked down at the bullet holes, the black paint chipped off to reveal the silver metal underneath.

"I was doing my usual route after you guys got off the highway last night. I had gotten your order of ammo from Sark and was flying back when this other helicopter I hadn't seen before just opened fire on me! I didn't have my guns on cause it was just a supply run so I had to take off, and ended up almost losing all my fuel! I know they are Brian's guys! I know they went after me cause we got the kid!" Lui wasn't trying to keep his tone calm. He was angry. Evan couldn't help but feel responsible, looking down at the red line painted on the pavement around the helicopter. "I'm lucky I didn't go down."

"Can you show me where this happened?" Tyler asked, looking up from the bullet holes to Lui.

"Give me a little bit to patch it up then yeah, sure." Lui reached into his pocket, handing Tyler a couple of crumpled bills. "Buy me a coffee."

Leaning against the Corvette, Evan made himself eat the bagel that Tyler got him. He prayed it would it stay down. His stress had made him sick before but never this bad. He never used to get such vivid nightmares or was as sick as he was the night before. His throat felt sore, every swallow making him cringe. Finishing his bagel, Evan found himself reaching for his pocket where his phone should have been. The sound of wielding rang through the airfield.

"Tyler?" Evan looked up at the tall man, fidgeting with his sleeve.

"Yeah?"

"Can I call my mom? Just to tell her I'm alive? I won't tell her anything about you or Brian...I just want to tell her I'm okay." Evan said, pulling at the leather of his sleeve. He didn't know how long he had been missing, how long he had been unconscious after Tyler found him. He hadn't seen a newspaper or anything that would tell him what the date was or if he had been reported missing yet or not. Tyler looked down at him, taking a sip from his coffee and nodded slowly.

"Later. Here isn't the right place for it. Too loud." Evan nodded. "Have you ever been in a helicopter before?" Tyler asked. Evan shook his head, a look of amusement on his face. Like he'd ever be able to afford that. "If you aren't scared of heights, come with me when Lui's ready to go." Tyler said with a smile.

"Okay." Excitement bubbled up in Evan's chest. He looked back at the helicopter, a smile spreading on his face. He remembered how he had lifted a hand off the handle bars and wanted so much to take the other one off too. Maybe now he'd be able to let go completely. Watching the sparks fly off the metal, Evan found himself getting a little bit impatient, once more fidgeting with his sleeve.

"Ready whenever you are." Lui finally called out to them a little while later. He pulled open the side door for Tyler and Evan who climbed in, sitting down on the side. "Hold on, don't be dumb and put these on so you can hear." Lui handed him the headset with a small smile. Evan watched Lui get in and Tyler pull the headset on. The propellers started up, the engine getting louder. As it started to rise, Evan gripped the bar on the inside of the helicopter tightly, glancing over his shoulder at Tyler who gave him a bright smile. "It won't take long for us to get there." Lui's voice crackled through the headset. "They came at me from the south, probably had taken off from the airfield that's way out there. I know most of Brian's air traffic goes down that way."

"Did you see what kind of helicopters they were?" Tyler called out.

"They were a…" Their voices faded away. Evan found himself leaning into the wind, taking a deep breath of the air. The city spread out below him and beyond that, the ocean sparkled in the sun. He felt like he could breathe again as if his lungs were no longer bruised or aching with every inhale. He'd never seen the city like this before. The windows on the skyscrapers seemed to glitter in the warm sunlight, and below, the people and the cars looked like toys.

Looking back, he could see the suburbs surrounding the city and wondered if he could see his home from here. He imagined there was a police car out front his home, the officer standing on the porch telling his mother that he hadn't been found yet but they were still looking. He doubted that though. He'd be reported as a runway and he and his mother would be forgotten over time by the authorities. Tyler had said that he'd run away and Evan was sure that he had been forgotten by society over time too. As the wind whipped around him, he thought about Craig and how he had disappeared from a world in which he was alone to a world that he would never be alone in. A part of him hoped that when he went home, he'd still be able to see them, that he'd still be able to go for drives with Tyler and have Jonathan to talk to and see Craig who would take care of him when he fell down. As much he wanted to go home, he wanted this moment to last. High above the city, Evan felt untouchable for the first time since waking up in that motel in San Diego. He believed that nothing could hurt him up here despite the scratchy conversation that he could hear through the headset. A wind gust caught Evan's jacket, flaring it out behind him like a cape. The helicopter went wasn't long before desert stretched out before them. Evan's chest tightened. "It was here."

"You're sure that they were Brian's guys?" Tyler called out.

"Certain of it. It was the first attack in a while! The fact is was right after what happened to you as well is even more proof." Lui explained. "I can't think of anyone else who might go after us but I heard that the kid's got a-"

"Lui." Tyler's voice was sharp. Evan turned his head back to look at Tyler, the sunlight blinding him for a few moments. Tyler met Evan's gaze for a moment before looking away.

"You know what I mean...I'm just saying that the only other explanation is that it could have been would have been people who are interested." Lui cleared his throat. "You gotta be careful too."

"I know." Suddenly, Evan didn't feel so untouchable anymore.

"Whose car is that?" Evan had stopped paying attention for the rest of the ride, his eyes on the world around him as Tyler and Lui continued their discussion over what happened. Now, as the helicopter was landing, reality came crashing back over him. A black Cadillac was parked near the landing pad, its windows tinted.

"Shit." Tyler pulled Evan away from the side and managed to pull the side door closed. The helicopter landed, the propellers slowly coming to a stop. Lui took a breath, looking back at Tyler for what to do. "Evan, stay here. Lui, got your gun?" He nodded. "Come with me." Taking their headsets off, they got out of the helicopter, closing the doors behind them. Taking off the headset, Evan watched Tyler and Lui through the window as they walked towards the car. The driver's door opened, a man dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans getting out. Evan had seen him before, at the warehouse. The back passenger door opened. Evan fell back from the window, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"Your name?" His hand went to the side of his head where Brian had hit him.

"Evan."

"Last?"

"Fong."

"Good. Now you know we have your name. You fuck with us, we'll fuck with you." Evan was going to be sick. "We don't like liars, Evan!"

"Shut up." Evan whispered aloud at the memories flying through his head.

"Then get rid of him." Evan took a deep breath, reminding himself that he hadn't been ridden of. He was still alive. Tyler had found him. Craig stitched his wounds. Jonathan protected him. Lui showed him what it feels like to fly. If anything, he should be better than the kid that had fled from Ryan and Luke. Taking another deep breath, he slowly moved back towards the window. Brian stood in front of Tyler and Lui, telling them something. He couldn't hear any words or see Tyler's expression but judging by the smile on Brian's face, it wasn't good. Brian suddenly waved to Evan who shrunk back from the window as Tyler turned to look back at the helicopter. A few moments later, the door was pulled open. Evan looked up at Tyler's scared expression.

"He wants to talk to you." Tyler whispered.

"Why?" Evan breathed. Tyler didn't answer, only offered him his hand to help him out of the helicopter. Jumping down onto the pavement, Evan reluctantly let go of Tyler's hand.

"Quarter of a million dollars." Brian said as they walked towards him. "That's how much I'll give to whoever can bring you to me alive. That offer also extends to you." Brian glanced from Lui to Tyler who showed no sign of interest in his offer. "Now, Evan, I got something even better for you if you want to go for a drive with me right now. I know you and your mom has had some hard times. Give me the code and I'll make sure you are both set for life. You can go to whatever school you want, do whatever you want. Your mom won't have to worry about the next job interview. I can set you up with a nice place up in the hills, a nice car, anything. All you gotta do is give me the code. It's a nice offer."

"Go to hell." Tyler suddenly spat.

"I wasn't talking to you." Brian shot back. Evan looked down at the hot pavement. He had always dreamed of making it better for his mom, for finally having the money so she wouldn't be so stressed. Yet it seemed so wrong. That money Brian wanted to give was bloody money. It'd have Adam's blood all over it. He had made a promise.

"No." Evan whispered. Brian sighed.

"Then I got one last little offer for all of you. This includes all three of you here and everyone else you call family, Tyler." Brian spat. "You got three days to give me the code. I don't care if you've tortured it out of him or have actually given me the damn kid. After three days and I still don't have the code, you all start dying."


	6. Chapter 6

Tyler's right hand was shaking. Sitting on the side of the helicopter, his eyes on the hot pavement, Evan fidgeted with his sleeve. Lui stood a few feet away with his back to them, another plastic cup of strong coffee in his hand.

"Why didn't you just take the fucking deal?" Lui had yelled at Evan when Brian left."Why are you so fucking stubborn? You're going to kill all of us!" He had lunged at Evan, swinging at him with his fists. Tyler had pushed Evan back, getting in between him and Lui. He caught Lui's fist and had shoved him hard. Lui stumbled back, almost falling to the pavement.

"Brian would have still fucked him over in the end! He's never that kind!" Tyler spat.

"Seems like he's been pretty damn kind to Luke." Lui hissed. Tyler's right hand had flexed and closed.

"No one is going to die. We can deal with Brian. He's just as desperate to find it as we are. He will make a mistake." Tyler had said. Evan wondered what 'it' was that they were looking for.

"And so will we by that logic." Lui snarled. Tyler's eyes narrowed. Evan wanted to melt into the pavement and disappear. "You should still have taken that fucking deal. Now, we gotta deal with the fucking bounty on that kid's head and that we got three fucking days to figure this out! I can't fucking believe this. I can't fucking believe you." Lui had turned then, storming towards one of the hangers.

"We can do it, Lui!" He flipped Tyler off.

Now, no one said anything, only watched the heat waves coming off the pavement. No one said anything. Evan was desperate for someone to say something. He wanted them to tell him that it would be okay, that they wouldn't accept any of Brian's deals, that they would find a way to stop him before time ran out. He wished at least that Tyler would let him call his mom but that wasn't going to happen now. Finishing his bitter coffee, Lui turned to look back at them, sighing.

"What are you going to tell the others?" Lui asked Tyler who said nothing, his gaze on his shaking hand. "You can't not say anything to them. They'll have a lot of questions when they start getting shot at in three days if you don't say anything."

"I'll tell them about Evan's bounty...and that Brian is willing to give a lot of money for him, therefore a lot of people are interested in finding him." Tyler finally said.

"And not about the time limit that Brian gave us?" Lui cried.

"You know how they will react if I do." Tyler sighed.

"Of course I do which is why you have to tell them. If they find out that you choose some fucking kid over them and didn't say anything about it, they will personally give Evan to Brian." Lui snapped. "Don't you dare tell me that isn't how they'll react when they find out that you betrayed them all! We'll never trust you again."

"Shut up!" Tyler suddenly yelled, making Evan jump.

"How would Craig feel? Or Jonathan? What about Smitty who you had to convince to join you and not Brian? I bet that he'll really be regretting his choice when he finds out." Lui snarled.

"I'm trying to have the least amount of blood spilt, Lui!"

"Everyone's gonna have a bullet in their head because of that kid!" Evan had enough. He got up, walking away from the helicopter. He could hardly breathe, tears welling up in his eyes.

He wanted to go home. He wished Adam had never ended up at the river. He wished he had never climbed that fence. He wished he had never biked to the river. He wished he had been brave enough to go to school.

"Evan?" He started running. He had to get away from them. Maybe if he kept running, he'd get away. He'd go home. Everyone was in danger now and it was his fault. Would running away really do anything to stop it? He didn't answer that question, only took a deep breath and ran faster. "Where are you going?" Tyler was coming after him. He didn't stop, his red jacket flaring out behind him. His lungs burned, every inhale bringing more tears to his eyes. "Evan!" A hand suddenly grabbed his arm. Evan pulled away from Tyler, stumbling forward. Tyler caught him. "Stop it!"

"Let go of me! Let go! Let me go!" Evan wailed, fighting against Tyler who held him tightly. "It's all my fault! All of it!"

"Evan!"

"I don't want to get them killed! I just want to go home!" Evan managed to get away from Tyler. "Lui's right! You shouldn't pick me over them." Evan cried as he turned around to face Tyler, his hands curling tightly into fists.

"I'm not picking anyone!"

"Just let me go home!"

"You can't go home!" Tyler suddenly yelled. Evan's chest tightened. "Those numbers... you're the only one who knows them. If you go home, both you and your mom will be hunted. You will never be left alone, even after Brian is gone!" Panic and anger seized Evan, knocking the air from the lungs. He wanted to scream, his hands starting to shake.

"You lied to me!" Evan screamed, suddenly lunging forward to hit Tyler who didn't stop him. He hit Tyler's chest repeatedly, shoving him away. "You lied! You said I could go home when all this was done!"

"Evan, listen to me!"

"Fuck you!"

"You can only go home when your bounty is gone, when people have forgotten about it! When Brian isn't around to enforce it, when his people aren't coming after us when we've finally found…" Tyler trailed off, his gaze turning down to the pavement. "I'm sorry. I'll get you home eventually. I'm not letting anyone else get trapped in this."

"You told everyone else that I was going home…" Evan said quietly. Tyler sighed.

"They understand."

"What is the code for?" Evan asked. Tyler's jaw clenched. Anger crashed over Evan. He couldn't stop the words that spilt out of his mouth. "Does your damn family understand what you meant or are you lying to them? Do you even understand them? Lui said that-" Evan was cut off by Tyler who grabbed his collar tightly, choking him.

"Go on, finish that sentence." Tyler snarled. Evan struggled, gasping for air. "Were you going to use Lui's words against me? I've known them for years, don't you dare think you do! You are alive because of me, Evan. Don't forget that. If you want to use my family against me, then I will start picking favourites. I am not better than Brian... I can be a lot worse." Tyler shoved Evan away, sending him sprawling to the hot pavement. Evan winced as his head hit the pavement. Opening his eyes, he saw the regret on Tyler's face. He didn't say anything to Evan though, only turned and walked back to the helicopter and Lui. He had watched the whole thing.

Evan stared up at the blue sky overhead. He didn't blame Tyler for his anger, he shouldn't have said that. Wincing as he sat up, he watched Tyler as he walked away. He didn't want to find out what he meant when he said that he could be worse than Brian.

"Are you okay?" The warm breeze played with Evan's hair. He sat on the balcony of Tyler's apartment, looking out over the city. He sat by the flower pots, the flowers above him bright and dancing in the breeze.

Tyler had told them about Evan's bounty and that Lui had been attacked the night before. He didn't say anything about the time limit Brian gave them. Shortly after, Tyler had disappeared in a room that Evan hadn't noticed before, just off from the entrance. It's door looked heavy and inside, he had just gotten a glimpse of weapons on the wall before the door closed. Tyler wasn't speaking to Evan, the drive back had been in uncomfortable silence. Evan had gone out onto the balcony after that and hadn't left it as the sun moved closer towards the horizon. "You've been out here awhile." He looked up at Jonathan who stood in the open doorway and shrugged. "What happened today?" Jonathan closed the sliding door and sat down beside Evan. He wanted Jonathan to listen, but he couldn't tell them what Tyler wouldn't. "You can talk to me, Evan."

"It's just…" Evan took a deep breath. "Tyler said that I can't go home as soon I thought I could...That with the bounty and everything, it'll take a long time before it's safe for me to go home." Tears welled up in his eyes. "I just wanna go home...I don't feel like anyone wants me here. It'd just be easier for everyone if I wasn't here...If you had just left me out there."

"That's not true." Jonathan shook his head. "I want you here."

"Sure you do." Evan scoffed, looking back over the city. "Even Tyler hates me." Evan didn't want to think about the anger that had been in Tyler's eyes when he shoved him down to the pavement and the threat that had been in his words. He pressed his left thumb over his right hand, putting pressure on it. Did that pain make him violent?

"Why would he give you this jacket then?" Jonathan playfully tugged on Evan's red and white sleeve, snapping him out of his thoughts. Evan turned his head, pulling his arm away as he met Jonathan's gaze.

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't tell you the story about it?"

"No." Evan shook his head. "He only said that it's important to him."

"Then let me tell you. It's a fun story." Jonathan leant back against the heavy stone planter, the flowers above him swaying in the breeze. "It was a year ago. It was one of our biggest jobs in awhile. You might have seen it on the news." Jonathan smiled at the memory. "It required a lot of setting up, but it was totally worth it. I think it was one of Tyler's shining moments." For a moment, Jonathan sounded bitter.

 _The large wooden doors of the bank swung open, the golden handles turning red as the four men entered the bank. They would do this just how they planned. Moving like clockwork, the four spread out. Lui zip tied the doors closed. Tyler fired a shot into the air. Ceiling plaster fell to the marble floor. On the counter were vases of plastic flowers. "Nobody move!"_

 _Jonathan paid no attention to the people that cowered on the floor as he pulled out a small explosive from his duffel bag, tapping it to the locked gate that would take them downstairs to the vault. Orange smoke flew around him, nearly blocking his vision that was already narrow due to the mask over his face. Other than their masks, they chose to wear the same clothing to make them seem even more indistinguishable. They moved as one and looked like one save for the masks._

 _The gate swung open in a burst of sparks. Jonathan and Tyler hurried down the stairs, Daithi and Lui staying to watch over the people in the bank. There was another gate at the bottom of the stairs. "Hurry!" Tyler said._

" _I got it, I got it." Jonathan smiled, as the small explosive went off in a burst of orange smoke and sparks. They hurried down the hall to the vault. Inside was a table covered with wads of bills. "Holy shit…" Jonathan breathed. He'd never seen so much money before. Glancing at Tyler with a look of excitement, they pulled open their bags and started filling them. There was yelling on the staircase and gunshots._

" _Come on!" Tyler cried. Jonathan grabbed as many as he could at a time. There were footsteps on the marble floor outside the vault._

" _Get him!" Lui's voice echoed down the hallway. Tyler nodded to Jonathan who pulled his handgun out from inside his jacket, stepping out of the vault to shoot at the man running towards them. He dropped to the floor, blood bursting from his shoulder where the bullet hit him. As if nothing happened, Jonathan hurried back into the vault._

 _When the table was empty, they pulled the bags over their shoulders, running back upstairs as the alarm went off. Lui tossed a large gun to Jonathan, Daithi handing Tyler's gun to him as they hurried towards the doors. They could hear sirens on the other side._

" _We all remember the way to the bikes?" Tyler asked. They nodded. "Okay. Move fast." Lui pulled a knife from his belt and cut the zip tie off. The doors flew open. Gunshots echoed in Jonathan's ears almost deafening him. They didn't take the time to aim properly as they took off running down a back ally. Jonathan looked back at Lui, watching him stop and take aim. The officer went down seconds later._

Jonathan stopped talking but Evan hardly noticed. He was imagining himself there, wearing the same jacket as them. He saw himself with a heavy bag of cash and a gun in his hand. He saw a proud smile on Tyler's face when he looked at him.

"It's just…" Jonathan's sigh pulled Evan back to reality. He looked up at Jonathan who had a distant look on his face. "I've killed a lot of people. Lui has too. We did it for money and we thought we left that behind to join Tyler but the more I think about it, the less I feel like I left it behind." He shrugged. "That's not fun to talk about though. So anyways…"

 _Heaving for air, Jonathan ran after Tyler and Daithi towards the motorcycles they had stolen to be their get away._

" _Stop!" There was a police officer that had suddenly stepped out front of them, gun raised. There was a loud gunshot, the officer falling. Jonathan looked up at the rooftops, seeing Smitty reload his gun. He wore the same red jacket as them. He had insisted on it even though he was just there as backup._

" _Nice." Lui giggled as he ran past. Jonathan smiled, the bag full of money hitting his side with every step. Hidden at the end of an alley a few blocks over, they found their bikes. Jonathan tossed his mask to Lui who put it into his bag, pulling on the helmet that had been left on the bike. Tyler switched bags with Lui who had the faster motorcycle. They reminded each other of the rendezvous point as they got on the bikes, the engines roaring as they took off down the street._

 _Splitting up, Jonathan headed towards the freeway. He sped up, glancing behind him to see two police cars close behind, their sirens deafening him. A gunshot made him jump, his back tyre popping._

" _Fuck!" The bike wobbled violently under him before tipping to the side. Jonathan slid down the pavement, bills flying around him as the bag ripped. He came to a stop a few meters away from the motorcycle, a police car shooting past him. His red jacket had ripped down the back and his left side, his skin feeling like it had just gotten the worst carpet burn. "Fuck….Fuck." He winced, managing to get to his knees, cars speeding past him. The police officers had him cornered. The sound of a motorcycle coming in the opposite direction caught his attention. Tyler's bike came to a sudden halt on the other side of the cement barrier, extending his gloved hand towards him._

" _Come on!"_

" _What about the money that fell out?" Jonathan cried, trying to pull the hole in the bag closed. There were gunshots, both of them ducking as the police closed in on Jonathan. "Fuck!" He reached for his handgun, firing back at the police._

" _Just get on the bike! We got enough!" Tyler yelled. Jonathan didn't have to be told a second time. He jumped over the barrier, getting on the back of Tyler's bike. They took off in the way Jonathan had come, the bike going as fast as it could. Clinging to Tyler, Jonathan took a breath, a smile spreading on his lips under his mask._

"It gets boring after that. Adult stuff. Like buying a car." Jonathan laughed. "That crash scared the hell out of me. I've never ridden a bike since." Evan looked up at him with wide, bright eyes. He knew it was silly, but he felt like he knew Jonathan now. "That job meant a lot to us. It was Smitty's first job with us. It was one of our biggest. So don't worry, okay? Sure, Tyler can get mad sometimes but he never means most of what he says. Except when he's threatening someone, but he'd never do that to you. He gave you that jacket for a reason. He'll get you home as soon as he can." Jonathan smiled. Evan believed him.

Sparkling blue water splashed around Evan as he dove into the roof top pool. After the heat and stress of the day, it was a relief. Jonathan had told him about the pool, lending him a pair of shorts and a towel. Air bubbles floating up from his nose, he swam to the other end of the pool, resurfacing halfway before diving back under. Reaching the shallow end, he stood, looking back at Jonathan who stood near the railing of the roof, his phone in hand. Evan remembered seeing him on the balcony the night before, how frustrated he had sounded. That didn't mean anything though did it?

Evan rolled onto his back, looking up at the blue sky. Golden rays of sunlight reflected off the bottom of the pool. The bruises on his side were still dark, every breath reminding him of the kicks and punches. He ran his hand over the bruises, feeling the ache over his ribs. He wondered how long the bruises would last, how long every breath would remind him of Brian and the group that had surrounded and beaten him. Evan forced himself to take a deep breath, trying to expand his wounded ribs to take in as much air as he could. It burned but a part of him felt alive. It felt good.

"Hey! Are you alive over there?" Jonathan called out. Evan rolled, splashing water around him.

"Yeah!" Evan spluttered.

"Sorry I surprised you." Jonathan laughed, turning back to his phone. Evan went back to floating on his back, looking up at the sky above him. Flowers in the garden danced in the warm early summer wind.


	7. Chapter 7

Evan couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned on the large bed, trying to get comfortable. It wasn't his bed. He rolled onto his left side, looking out the large window. The orange glow of the city illuminated the room. He hadn't been in pitch darkness since he woke up in that motel; he still wasn't used to the constant neon glow. Even when he closed his eyes it wasn't completely dark.

"I am not better than Brian...I can be a lot worse." Tyler's words wouldn't leave him alone. Rolling onto his back, he tried to think about anything else. The numbers danced through his head.

"Four one eight two five…" Evan whispered. "Four one eight two five." Exhaustion made his eyelids feel heavy. "Four...One...Eight…" Sleep overcame him before he could finish whispering the code. The roses on the dresser looked bloody in the orange glow.

"Here's your mocha." Jonathan smiled as he set the plastic cup down in front of Evan. The cafe was busy, filled with students working on essays or studying and office workers grabbing a coffee. Warm, late morning light filled the brightly coloured cafe. Evan had reluctantly gone with Tyler and Jonathan when they went out for a coffee. He was nervous of being recognized by someone who wanted the prize on his head or someone who was just simply looking for him. He didn't want to bring this violence home.

Evan nodded to Jonathan as he curled his hand around the hot cup. On the table beside him was a newspaper and a plastic flower in a small plastic vase. "So what are we doing today?" Jonathan asked as Tyler walked over to them, a cup of strong iced coffee in his hand.

"I'm meeting with Lui again and a few other people. You two are going to spend the day out." Tyler instructed. Jonathan's brow furrowed. Evan's gaze was on the newspaper.

"What do you mean?"

"I can't keep the kid with me. If Brian could find us so easily yesterday, it's best to split up. Craig's holding down the fort, so you have to keep an eye on Evan. I don't care what you do, just don't go back home until this evening and keep moving." Tyler explained. Jonathan sighed playfully and gave Evan a smile but he hardly noticed.

"Alright. Sounds fun." Jonathan turned back to Tyler.

"Keep me posted as to where you're at just in case." Tyler said. Jonathan nodded and Tyler left.

"Got anywhere, in particular, you wanna go today?" Jonathan asked when he was gone. Evan didn't answer. He couldn't stop reading those blotchy, black words. The paper had been left open on the classified section, the page where people pay to have something in the paper. His most recent high school photo stared back at him from the page. It had been over a week since he had climbed the fence. He must have been unconsciousness for most of it for it had only been three days since he had woken up. Jonathan followed Evan's gaze. "Missing, Evan Fong." Jonathan read aloud.

"Don't." Evan grabbed his cup and the paper, getting up and hurrying towards the door.

"Hey, it's okay! Your mom loves you and she's looking for you! We're going to get you home as soon as we can...As soon as we know no one is going to hurt you or your mom."

"She had to pay for this, Jonathan!" Evan cried, waving the paper at him. Tears were welling up in his eyes. He sat down on of the chairs outside the cafe, setting the coffee and the paper down. "She had to pay...to put my missing poster in the newspaper...She can't afford that!" Evan's chest tightened. Everything horrible that could have ever happened was happening. People were going to die because of him. His mom would have nothing because of him. "Oh God…" He couldn't breathe. This was all his fault. Jonathan didn't look like he knew what to say to Evan. With a sigh, he suddenly reached for Evan's, holding his hand tightly.

"Deep breaths...It'll be okay. Whatever Brian said to you...However much the column cost, it'll be okay." Jonathan smiled. Evan looked up at him with tear filled eyes. How did he know that Brian said something to him yesterday? "If you could go anywhere in Los Angeles right now, where it would be?" Evan turned his gaze down to the sidewalk, thinking. There were too many places. The pier, the art museum, the aquarium, all the places tourists went. He'd never experienced their L.A., only the hot, hazy suburbs around the downtown core.

"The beach...The pier." Evan finally said quietly. Jonathan smiled brightly.

"Then let's go!"

The blue BMW sped down the highway, sometimes dangerously swerving in between other cars on the road. Jonathan laughed with delight while Evan held on, the wind whipping through the open windows. He couldn't hear anything over it but he could see Jonathan's wide smile. He smiled too, leaning his head back against the seat as he looked out the window at the city flying past. Palm trees lined the road, reaching up towards the sky. Evan stretched his hand out the window, the wind rushing between his fingers.

He just wanted this and nothing more. He didn't want to think about his mom having to pay to put his missing poster in the newspaper. He didn't want to think about her making it. He didn't want to think about the time limit Brian gave them and Tyler's anger. He didn't want to think about the hostility he faced from everyone except Craig, Jonathan and Brock. He wished he hadn't made Tyler so angry. Tyler was so kind to him.

"There's a great taco place near the beach. Lunch is on me." Jonathan called out over the wind and the engine. The blue BMW slowed when they reached the beach, the blue paint sparkling in the warm sunlight. They parked outside of the restaurant and headed inside, picking a table out on the patio in the shade under a bright blue umbrella. Evan hung his jacket off the side of the chair, wincing a little as he shrugged it off. "Brian sure did a number on you." Jonathan said when he saw Evan's pained expression. "Is it your ribs still that hurt the most?" Evan nodded. "Damn. I'm sorry that happened to you."

"It's not your fault." Evan said quietly as he sat down. Jonathan nodded a little, glancing down at his phone that he had set down on the table. A few minutes of silence later, a waiter brought them some water and took their order before leaving them alone on the patio once more. Evan tapped his fingers against the table, looking past the metal railing and the flower boxes to the beach. It looked busy, people walking up and down the path, sunbathing and playing in the waves. A group of kids his age walked past the restaurant, talking and laughing among themselves.

"Do your friends miss you?" Jonathan asked, watching the group walk away. Evan shook his head. "Why?" Jonathan sounded sad for him.

"I don't really have any." Evan whispered, taking a sip from his water.

"Really?" Evan nodded.

"I disappeared and only my mom noticed." Evan's chest tightened. He took a deep, shaking breath.

"I would notice." Jonathan smiled. "I'm your friend now. Your best friend." He giggled. "I'll make you a bracelet." Evan shook his head but smiled anyways.

Jonathan's phone rang. The screen lit up with the caller's ID, Evan's eyes drifting down to the screen. Jonathan's hand slammed down over the phone.

"Do you need to answer that?" Evan whispered. He tensed as if to run when he met Jonathan's suddenly dark gaze. The phone continued to ring under Jonathan's hand.

"I'll call them back later." Jonathan said after a few long moments of silence. He slipped the phone into his pocket, staring at Evan who stared back with wide eyes. The waiter arrived with their food, placing them on the table with a smile and refilled Evan's water even though it didn't need it.

"Are you sure?"

"It's nothing you have to worry about, Evan." Jonathan's smile was quick to reappear on his face that just a few moments ago had been dark and warning. "You got enough on your plate." Jonathan said with a laugh as he gestured to the large tacos on Evan's plate. Evan couldn't help but smile, forgetting about Jonathan's phone. It was probably just Tyler or Craig calling anyways.

Over lunch, Jonathan told Evan funny stories and tried to ask him questions about his life but Evan found himself staying tight lipped. He knew he could trust Jonathan, but he felt uncomfortable talking about his quiet, anxious life and his mom who was trying her best to keep them afloat. "Sorry for so many questions." Jonathan said as he wiped his hands with his napkin. "Feel free to ask me anything." Tyler had said the same thing. Just like then, Evan had difficulty thinking of something.

"Do you have gang tattoos?" Evan suddenly blurted out. Jonathan stared at him for a few moments before laughing. "That was a dumb question. I don't know, on TV the gangs have tat-"

"We have them." Jonathan smiled. "Nothing serious, we just did it as a thing one night after a job. We had money to blow, tattoos are so expensive...But we all got a flower." Jonathan rolled up his right sleeve, revealing the rose on his wrist. It looked exactly like the roses Evan kept seeing in Tyler's apartment. "Everyone's got a different one. Tyler's got a sunflower on his shoulder. Craig was so nervous to get his, we ended up deciding for him." Jonathan giggled at the memory. "He's got an hibiscus on his chest."

"Did he like it?"

"He still loves it." Jonathan smiled. "Smitty still hasn't gotten one yet. If you stick around, I'll pay for yours." He winked at Evan who looked down with a smile, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Come on, let's go to the pier."

The warm Californian sun shone down on Evan's face, his black hair feeling hot to the touch. Leaving his jacket in Jonathan's car, he had followed him down the pier, past vendors selling food and souvenirs to the end of the pier. The ocean sparkled in the sunlight. Up ahead, Jonathan turned to look back at Evan, giving him a bright smile as the wind caught his blue hoodie. His sleeves were rolled up, the rose on his wrist on display.

Evan noticed the thorns on the stem of the rose.

"Don't you get worried being in public?" Evan asked when they reached the end of the pier, squinting against the bright sunlight. "I mean, I'm just assuming but you've done bad stuff in the past...Aren't you worried about the police?"

"No." Jonathan answered quickly.

"Why?" Jonathan took a breath to answer but stopped. He just shrugged instead. Jonathan's phone rang again.

"If it's Tyler you should answer it." Evan said quietly as he turned to look back down the pier. Jonathan shook his head.

"I'll call back in a bit." Jonathan muttered. Evan glanced back at him, noticing that his smile was gone. He looked away but couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Jonathan should answer his phone. If it was Tyler trying to reach him than he should answer. "Have you ever been to the aquarium?" Jonathan asked suddenly, the smile back on his face. Evan shook his head. "We're going!" Jonathan took Evan's hand and pulled him down the pier. Evan nearly stumbled when he pulled him. Jonathan didn't stop.

It was nice and cool inside the aquarium, a break from the warm sun outside. Evan wandered through the blue lit halls, glancing into the tanks. Creatures he had never seen before swam past, some more colourful while others hid away at the bottom. He stopped at one that contained jellyfish, watching them float up towards the top of the tank and back down, their long tentacles trailing after them. There was an odd calm that had settled over him. He wasn't thinking about the code or Brian for once. Instead, he simply watched the jellyfish. When he finally did turn away from the jellyfish, he noticed Jonathan had been watching him. Jonathan smiled and followed Evan as he continued down the hall.

"You'll love this." Jonathan said quietly. Evan glanced back at him, confused but kept walking. The hall suddenly opened up into a large, dark room. The only light came from the large aquarium that was full of all kinds of fish and coral. Evan's eyes widened. He walked right up to the glass, looking up at the fish. He knew he shouldn't but he placed his hand on the cool glass, looking up with wide eyes at the sea creatures. He wasn't sure how long he stood there for, but he found himself sitting down on the low cement wall that went around the aquarium, watching the calming scene in front of him. He paid no attention to the children with their loud voices that climbed up onto the wall around him or the parents that stayed back but still admired the aquarium with a childlike wonder in their eyes.

Evan took a deep breath and sighed, hardly giving any attention to his protesting, achy lungs. Lowering his gaze to a large bottom feeder, the image of kicking Brian repeatedly in the ribs and chest while he was down flashed through Evan's mind. He stared at the bottom feeder, his left hand pressing down on the top of his right hand wondering what it feels like to have a hammer smashed down it. If he had Tyler's pain, his anger, could he kick Brian when he was down?

"What are you doing?" Jonathan whispered. Evan looked up at him then followed his concerned gaze down to his hands.

"I was just wondering what Tyler's hand felt like under that hammer."

"You don't want to know that." Jonathan said sharply as he sat down beside Evan. "Believe me, you really don't. Tyler almost went back home after that."

"What do you mean?"

"He ran away from home...He had just graduated high school and he couldn't live in that house anymore." Jonathan explained. "If Brian scared him so much to go back after three years…"

"How do you know?" Evan asked quietly. Jonathan took a breath, looking up at the fish swimming above them in the aquarium.

"I was one of the first to join Tyler. Lui came with me." Jonathan stopped. "I don't know if I should tell you this. It's a bloody story."

"I can handle it." Evan managed a smile.

"I'm not sure if 'friend' is the right word for what we were at the time but Lui and I worked together. You know the bounty on you?" Evan nodded. "If we weren't with Tyler now, we'd be hunting you. A bounty like that, wow...I'm amazed some guy hasn't shown up already and tried to kill you." Evan's chest tightened. He couldn't look at Jonathan, his gaze locked on the fish. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you but it's true. We killed people for money, plain and simple."

" _Over there." Lui whispered. Jonathan stared through the scope on his gun, seeing movement behind a car down the street._

" _Got him." The gunshot crackled through the night. The window on the car shattered. They heard a faint cry of pain._

" _Finish him off. Don't forget to get a picture. I'll meet you back at the car." Lui picked up his gun and hurried back to the fire escape. Jonathan did the same, jumping down from the ladder when he was close enough to the ground. He gave his gun to Lui and pulled a handgun from his jacket as he made his way down the street to the car and the dying man on the other side. He found the man coughing up blood on the other side, blood oozing onto the pavement._

" _W-Who are you? Y-You working for Brian?" The man gasped. Jonathan didn't answer, just simply stared down at him through his plastic mask._

" _How much?" Jonathan asked suddenly. "We heard five grand." The man coughed and spat at him. Blood splattered onto Jonathan's shoe. "Guess we'll find out." Jonathan raised the gun and fired one shot. The man went still. Tucking the gun back into his jacket, Jonathan pulled his phone from his pocket and opened the camera app. He took a picture, the flash illuminating the blood on the pavement. He sent the photo and walked back to Lui's car. "Where's the next one?" He asked as he got into the fast red car._

" _By the river. This one is a big one apparently. If we get it, we can call it a night." Lui was smiling under his mask, Jonathan could hear the excitement in his voice. Jonathan smiled under his mask and Lui stepped on the gas. The red sports car took off down the street. It felt like they were flying through the streets of Los Angeles._

 _He wasn't scared of death anymore. It had stopped scaring Jonathan a long time ago. He welcomed it with open arms. Jonathan's phone dinged with a text from Luke. The money was now in their account._

" _Hope you're being careful out there." Luke's text read. Jonathan smiled._

" _You know I am." He responded. The car rounded a corner sharply and sped back up. Sirens sounded behind them. The red car sped up even more, speeding around another corner. The tyres squealed as it nearly spun out on the turn. Lui pulled the wheel and got the car into a small back street, quickly turning off the car lights. They crouched down in their seats, waiting for the police car to drive past. Blue and red lights filled the car as the police car sped past the backstreet. They waited a few more moments before sitting back up. Lui backed out of the street and turned the car around, heading back in the direction of the river._

"Evan." Jonathan stopped. Evan glanced at Jonathan, snapped out of the bloody daydream. "I'm not monstrous am I?" Evan couldn't answer. "When we started I was nervous, I didn't want to do it but it was quick money and Lui and Luke had been doing it for awhile. What I'm trying to say is that despite what we did...I am human. Please don't forget that."

"I won't." Evan whispered.

 _Lui turned off the headlights as the car pulled up to the river. They could see a car down by the small river, and someone moving near it. The car stopped, both of them getting out of the car to grab the large guns out of the back. They set up on the cement ridge, watching the man down by the car. He looked like he was waiting for something. He was tall, his blonde hair looking orange in the neon glow of the streetlamps. Laying on the ground, gravel digging into his stomach, Jonathan watched the blonde man through the scope._

" _Are you taking this one?" Lui whispered. Jonathan didn't answer. For the first time in a long time, he felt wrong. Something felt off._

" _We shouldn't do this. Let him go." Jonathan said, picking up his gun. A gunshot rang through the night, sparks flying off the red car. The man down below jumped too. Lui swore, grabbing his gun and turned in the direction of the gunshot only to stumble back when there was another shot. Blood splattered from Lui's shoulder and he fell to the gravel, crying out in pain. "Fuck!" Lui ducked behind the red car, his worried gaze locked on Lui who writhed with pain on the hard gravel._

" _Get out of here!" Lui cried, managing to throw the keys at Jonathan. "Go!" Jonathan grabbed the keys and made a dash for the driver's seat. They knew this would happen one day. They knew someone would get left behind. Bullets ricocheted off the car, sparks flying through the air. Jonathan could hardly see, blinding lights coming from what must be car headlights shining in his eyes as he fumbled to get the door open and start the car. The back window exploded into fragments of glass._

" _Fuck!" Jonathan screamed as he ducked from the flying glass. When he looked up, he made eye contact with Lui whose left hand was pressed to the wound on his right shoulder, his other hand clutching a handgun._

" _Go!" Lui yelled. Jonathan put the car into reverse and stepped on the gas. It shot back as he quickly put it back into drive and took off, gravel and dust flying up behind the car. He glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing Lui fire at the cars that had been behind them. Two of them followed Jonathan, speeding after him as he made it to the road and over the bridge across the cement lined river. The red car sped through the streets, flying past the occasional car that was still on the road this late at night. Glancing to his right, he could see one of the cars pursuing him through a gap in the buildings. Gritting his teeth, he took the next turn, nearly crashing into a pedestrian. The man yelled at him but Jonathan didn't have time to offer a half assed apology._

 _Glancing at the rearview mirror, he couldn't see the car that had been behind him now. Taking a breath, he wondered if he had lost it. He looked to the sides for the other car and saw nothing. Maybe he could turn back and get Lui before he bled out. Dying by that algae ridden river surrounded by gravel and cement would be the worst place to go._

 _Headlights suddenly blinded Jonathan as he reached an intersection. He looked to his right in time to see the car speeding towards him. He didn't have time to swerve out of the way as the car crashed into him, sending the red car flipping onto the pavement. Bits of metal and glass flew through the air, littering the road. Jonathan didn't have time to hold onto anything or brace for the impact. He painfully hit the side of the car as it flipped, and came to a stop upside down._

 _The world was dark and out of focus. Jonathan winced, the movement making his head hurt even more. He struggled for air as panic came over him. Gunshots echoed from somewhere around him. He had to get out but from the position he was in, he would need help from someone on the outside of the car and there was no one but people trying to get his bounty._

" _Fuck…" Jonathan swallowed, hearing tyres squeal as a car came to a stop near him. He was going to die trapped in a ruined car, defenceless. Someone was running towards the car. Jonathan tried to find his gun in the small space he was in only to find it out of reach._

" _Hey!" Jonathan jumped, looking out the window at the blonde man that crouched by the shattered window. Bullets flew off the car. Jonathan stared at him with wide eyes as he pulled off his jacket, wrapping it around his hand to hit away the rest of the glass around the window before laying it down on the side. "Come on." He extended his hand towards Jonathan who didn't move. "Do you wanna die in here?"_

" _I was going to shoot you...Why are you helping me?" Jonathan cried. The man stared at him, a bit shocked by this information but shook his head._

" _You aren't going to shoot me now. Just come on. I got your friend in my car! Come on!" The man cried urgently. Jonathan stared at him for a moment longer before reluctantly taking his hand. With help from the man, Jonathan was able to pull himself out of the wrecked car. The two ran towards the car where Lui was waiting for them. Jonathan jumped into the back, barely closing the door of the old car as the man got in the front and immediately speeding off from the shooters._

" _Are y-you okay?" Lui managed to ask beside him. Blood soaked the seat. Jonathan nodded._

" _Are you?"_

" _I will be…Thanks, Tyler." Lui said to the man who drove the car. He glanced back at them and nodded with a smile._

" _Don't thank me until we're in the clear." Tyler said, looking back at the road. Jonathan couldn't help but feel suspicious of Tyler but decided for Lui's sake that he'd wait till later to ask questions._

"Good Tyler...Great Tyler. I don't know if anyone else has told you their story with Tyler but it seems like all he does is save people and then they join him cause they feel like they owe him something." Jonathan snapped. "Lui felt like that! Of all people! He didn't owe shit. He was ready to die there...Tyler didn't have to do anything. He could have saved his own skin and gotten the hell out of there. He didn't have to follow me. He didn't have to pull me out of that car but he did." He sounded bitter. Evan stared at him, his face looking blue in the glow of the aquarium. "I stayed because...Well...Yes, I was grateful for what he did, but also because he made a convincing case for us to join him. Less blood… More support. I became close with Tyler." Jonathan shrugged. "I don't know...It's hard to explain really." Evan looked back at the aquarium, watching the bottom feeder make its way across the coral. "And now you're here so even more reason to stay." Jonathan smiled.

"How close were you to Luke?" Evan whispered. Jonathan tensed.

"I don't want to talk about that." Jonathan got up. "We've been here awhile and I still got a list of places I want to take you to!" Jonathan smiled and started back down the hall. Evan stared after him. He wasn't sure why but he had had a hard time imagining himself in Jonathan's story.

Evan swung between the white lamp posts outside of the museum, the warm glow washing over him and reflecting off the leather of his jacket. As he swung around one of the taller posts, he saw Jonathan hold his phone up to him and take a picture, the flash reflecting off the red leather.

"Why are you taking a picture of me?" Evan laughed.

"In case you do go home...I'll have something to remember you by." Jonathan smiled. After the museum, they drove up the hill to the observatory as the sun set over the city. "This view never gets old." Jonathan said as he leaned against the white wall. Evan looked over the city, the wind playing with his hair and jacket. "You feel like the king of Los Angeles up here."

"Yeah…" Evan nodded. Jonathan was right, he did feel like a king looking over his kingdom.

"I'm glad I got to spend today with you." Jonathan smiled. "It's been really great." Evan nodded again, giving him a smile. Something was still nagging at the back of his mind though. He hadn't seen Jonathan call Tyler back.

"Did...Did you call Tyler?" Evan asked. Jonathan's smile fell from his face.

"Oh my god, kid." Jonathan snapped, reaching into his hoodie pocket for his phone. "Do you need fucking proof now?"

"Sorry...I just figured that if it's Tyler you should call him." Evan stammered as Jonathan opened something on his phone. He shoved the screen into Evan's face. It was his missed calls list and at the top, the last call was around the time they were having lunch at the taco place, was Tyler's name.

"Happy?" Evan nodded, not wanting to push it anymore. Jonathan sighed as he put his phone away. "Sorry… I'm sorry. You're right. I should have called. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Evan smiled reassuringly. "I shouldn't have pushed it. I trust you." Jonathan smiled and hugged Evan tightly. Evan tensed for a moment before he slowly relaxed and wrapped his arms around Jonathan, closing his eyes. When Jonathan broke away from Evan, he noticed the sad expression on Evan's face.

"What's wrong?"

"I just got a lot on my mind." The hug had reminded him of his mother and the last hug she had given him.

"Have you ever done the 'writing it down' thing?" Evan gave Jonathan a confused look. "When I've got a lot on my mind, I write it down. You can throw it out or rip it up afterwards, but writing it down makes it better somehow." Jonathan explained.

"I'll try that."

Red flowers danced in the warm breeze.

There was someone waiting for them when they returned to the blue BMW. Evan's chest tightened, stepping behind Jonathan who stopped when he saw the man leaning against his car.

"Playdate's over. Hand over the kid. Carefully though, he's expensive." The man said, standing up to face Jonathan.

"I've never seen you before...Why should I do what you say?" Jonathan snapped. The man raised a gun. "That's a shitty answer." Jonathan raised his gun. "I got one too." Evan looked up at Jonathan than back to the man, hardly able to breathe. A cord suddenly wrapped around Evan's neck, choking the air from him as it tightened and pulled. Evan gasped and struggled frantically against the second man who held onto the cord around Evan's neck tightly. Jonathan looked back before turning back to the first man and fired at him. Evan and the man fell to the pavement, his jeans ripping at the knee. Blood soaked into the blue fabric. Evan tried to scream, tried to get away as the world blurred and fell out of focus. He could barely make out Jonathan as he grabbed the first man and smashed his head off the trunk of the BMW. Evan clawed at the cord around his neck, gasping for air. The man holding the cord was suddenly pulled away, the cord digging into Evan's neck. He gasped as the pressure was released, air flooding his bruised lungs. Evan rolled onto his back, pulling the cord off his neck and throwing it onto the pavement.

He turned his head in time to see Jonathan empty his gun into the man's chest. Evan had to stop himself from screaming in horror at the sight. The gun clicked when he was out of ammo. Jonathan threw the gun down when he saw Evan staring at him and dropped to his knees beside him, pulling him into a gentle hug.

"You're okay." Jonathan said against Evan's hair when he felt him shaking uncontrollably. He nodded, still trying to catch his breath. He couldn't stop the fear he felt towards Jonathan now. He knew Jonathan was a killer, but he didn't want to see it. After a moment, Jonathan helped Evan to his feet. He watched as Jonathan took pictures of the bodies on the hot pavement.

"What are you doing?" He knew what Jonathan was doing. He didn't have to ask but he did anyways.

"Collecting their bounties."

Evan stared at the bloodstain on the carpet of the BMW's trunk as Jonathan pulled the plastic bag containing their take-out sushi out of the back before slamming the door shut. Jonathan had quickly thrown the bodies of their attackers into the trunk while Evan watched, feeling sick. He didn't say a word as they drove out of town. He didn't say a word when Jonathan stopped the car in the middle of nowhere and ditched the bodies.

Now, he followed Jonathan through the parking lot to the elevator in silence. His neck was purple.

"I'll have Craig take a look at it." Jonathan said when they got into the elevator. "You should be okay though. Nothing to worry about." He managed a smile. "You're safe here." A few moments later, the door opened and they stepped out onto the floor. Jonathan unlocked the door only to hazy with an unsettling tension. Something was wrong. Evan stayed behind Jonathan as he walked into the apartment. At the dining room table, Craig was patching up a wound on Marcel's chest while Daithi was trying to get blood out of clothing. "What happened?"

"We were on our way to Lui's for the ammo run when some guys just attacked us." Smitty explained. Evan's gaze turned to see him sitting on the couch, a dark bruise going around his eye.

"Why didn't you call me?" Tyler was suddenly in front of Jonathan.

"We were busy."

"Doing what? Sightseeing?"

"Yes." Jonathan said bluntly. Evan met Tyler's gaze which widened when he saw the bruise around his neck.

"What happened?" Tyler gently pulled back Evan's red lapel to see the bruise. "Did someone choke you?"

"Just like what Smitty was saying…These guys attacked us."

"What did you do with the bodies?" Tyler whispered his eyes on Evan's bruise. Judging by the look in his eyes, Tyler would have killed them just as brutally as Jonathan did.

"Dumped them outside of town." Jonathan explained. Tyler nodded, glancing back at Craig.

"It's not urgent, but please take a look at Evan." Tyler instructed him. Craig nodded, giving Evan a small smile before returning to Marcel. Evan noticed that Marcel was staring at him. There was something in his gaze.

What did he know?

Evan tore his gaze away from Marcel and looked back up at Tyler who gave him a smile. Evan recognized the look in his eyes. His mom had looked at him like that before. Tyler was sorry.

"I'm going to lie down if that's okay." Evan said quietly. Tyler nodded, stepping aside to let Evan walk past to the hallway.

"Is he okay?" Tyler whispered to Jonathan. Evan didn't hear his answer. In the large bedroom, Evan closed the door and kicked off his shoes. He pulled off the red jacket and placed it on the dresser beside the roses. He wondered what kind of flower tattoo he'd get if he stayed. He liked roses but he also liked daisies. His mom had tried to grow them. He noticed a small stationary pad on the dresser and a pen. He looked back at the door then to the paper. He was sure that Tyler wouldn't mind if he took a page. He ripped a page from the pad and sat down on the bed, thinking of everything that was on his mind. He doodled while he thought about what to write. He could write how he felt about everything that had happened to him, or he could write about one specific thing. He had too much running through his head, he didn't know what would help him most to write down.

Looking down at the little drawings on the page, his eyes widened. Among the odd, sketchy doodles was the code. He had written the code without even thinking about it. He lifted the page to rip it in half but stopped. It felt good to have the code somewhere other than his head. Instead of ripping the page, he folded it into a small square and tucked it into his jacket pocket. He sighed as he laid down on the bed, pulling the heavy blanket over his head. He felt lighter already now that it was out of his head.


	8. Chapter 8

Evan was dreaming. He was sitting at the table on the patio of the restaurant, the blue umbrella turning everything under it into a neon blue glow. Jonathan sat across from him. In between them on the table, was Jonathan's phone. Neither of them said a single thing. Evan looked down at the phone as it began to ring. Slowly, he looked back up at Jonathan who stared back. Thorny roses grew from the phone, obscuring Jonathan from view.

Evan's eyes flickered open. He stared up at the high ceiling for a few moments before slowly sitting up. The clock on the bedside table read four thirty in red numbers. His throat felt dry. Evan threw off the blanket and got up, walking towards the door. He slowly opened the door and tiptoed down the hallway past Craig's bedroom. Smitty and Brock were asleep on the two couches, while Marcel, Daithi and Jonathan were sprawled out on the floor in sleeping bags, some of which had been kicked away due to the heat. In the dim light, Evan saw a flash of yellow on Marcel's shoulder. A bundle of black eyed susans were tattooed onto his arm, the warm yellow flowers tied with a string.

Evan carefully stepped over Jonathan and Daithi, making his way into the kitchen where he quietly found a cup and filled it with water from the sink. Taking a sip, he glanced out the window where it was slowly starting to brighten. He walked around the counter, starting back towards the bedroom when he stopped. He looked back over his shoulder at the door near the entrance. It wasn't right to snoop, he had learned that the hard way when he was nine and his mom caught him looking for Christmas presents. However, he couldn't help his curiosity when he looked at the door. He was sure it was just another bedroom but now would be the perfect time to find out. Everyone was asleep.

Setting his cup down on the counter, Evan slowly made his way towards the door. He turned the handle and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. It was dimly lit, white neon light coming the wall opposite the door, it was covered with weapons. Everything from machine guns to a small decorative oil slick coloured knife that had probably been bought from one of those rave websites for decoration instead of use. On the other side of the room was a map of Los Angeles and a desk with papers and a couple of laptops. Evan stared around the room, his eyes wide. Now he felt like he was in a movie.

Seeing Tyler's handgun on the wall, as if in a trance, Evan started to walk towards it. He took it off the mount, the weight surprising him. The metal was cold in his hands. He thought about how Brian had hit him with his gun. He thought about Tyler standing over him with a pig's head. He thought about how Tyler saved Craig's life and Jonathan's. He thought about how Jonathan had saved his. How many bullets had he shot into that man's chest? He thought about the innocent man shot dead by Ryan. He thought about how he wanted to be stronger, how he wanted to fight back, how he wanted to no longer be afraid.

He turned, looking up at the map of Los Angeles. He wondered where Brian was and if he was thinking about the code, the code in his head. He wondered if Brian had come up with a way to get it out of him yet. Evan looked back down at the gun. He wondered if he could aim it.

Slowly, Evan raised the gun, using both hands to keep it steady. He imagined Brian at the end of it. He imagined Luke and Ryan. Evan smiled.

"Bang."

Sitting beside Jonathan on the couch, Evan was having to resist the urge to fall asleep. They had done nothing all day. Tyler had gone out again, now looking desperate to find a way out of Brian's ultimatum.

With stress weighing him down, Evan leaned onto Jonathan, laying his head on Jonathan's lap as he stretched his legs out.

"Are you okay?" Jonathan asked softly. Evan nodded.

"Tired."

"You can sleep." Jonathan smiled and turned his gaze back to his phone in his right hand. His left hand threaded through Evan's black hair gently, soothingly playing with his hair. Evan closed his eyes, letting out a content sigh.

After the day before, he felt closer to Jonathan. He trusted him with his life. He hoped that when he went home, he'd still be able to see Jonathan, Tyler and Craig.

Evan opened his eyes, looking up at Jonathan who didn't notice his gaze. Jonathan seemed distant, thinking about whatever it was he was looking at on his phone.

"Can I see your tattoo?" Evan asked quietly, startling Jonathan who gave him a confused look before switching his phone to his left hand and lowered his right so Evan could see the rose on his wrist. "Why a rose?" He traced one of the red petals. Jonathan shrugged.

"I don't know much about flowers…But I know roses. You gotta be careful around roses." Jonathan smiled.

"Because they have thorns." Evan breathed. He wanted to have thorns.

"Exactly." Jonathan giggled. Evan smiled and rolled onto his back, his head resting against Jonathan's thigh. "Don't worry Evan… You won't get pricked." Jonathan smiled. "I like being a flower."

"Why?" Evan looked up at him, meeting his gaze. There was something happy but also sad about it.

"Because everyone who isn't a part of this family thinks we're weeds."

"I don't think that." Evan whispered. Jonathan ran a hand through Evan's hair.

"I know you don't."

The clock ticked past nine. Evan's hand reached for his jean pocket where he was sure that his phone would be only to remember it wasn't there. He wondered if his mom had texted him, had called him, leaving message after message wondering where he was, begging him to come home. Tears welled up in Evan's eyes at the thought. All he could think about was how scared he was. The day had been full of tension, of waiting. He just wanted this day to be over.

"I'm going to bed." Evan said to Craig as he got up. Jonathan had left a few hours ago but had promised to be back soon.

"Are you doing okay?" Craig looked up at him with a soft smile. Evan thought about the three deals Brian had given them and how heartbroken and angry Craig would be if he knew.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Evan nodded. He stood there for a moment longer, wondering what Craig would do if he knew before turning away.

"Aw, you're going to bed?" Marcel suddenly asked, startling Evan. Marcel and the others stood by the door, getting ready to go out. Evan nodded again. "Cause we were gonna ask if you wanted to come with us."

"Where?" Evan asked cautiously. He remembered Marcel's stare from the day before.

"A club." Marcel smiled.

"Just go to bed, Evan." Craig said quietly.

"We just wanna have some fun, Craig. Lighten up. You can come with us if you want. It's been pretty tense lately, we just wanna blow off some steam." Marcel explained with a casual shrug. The others nodded.

"Go to bed, Evan." Craig said again. Evan looked at him with a confused expression. He didn't understand why Craig seemed so worried all of a sudden. Did he not want him to have fun?

"We just want to get to know you, Evan." Smitty smiled.

"Have you asked Tyler?" Craig demanded. "Does he know what you're doing?"

"He's not our mom." Daithi laughed. "It's not like we're sneaking out like kids. You know where we are." With that, the group headed for the door, into the hall. Evan looked back at Craig, a pleading expression on his face.

"Please! I've never even been to a school dance." Evan pleaded. "I can take care of myself." Craig narrowed his eyes at that comment as if doubting him. Craig said nothing. Evan didn't wait for an answer. He turned and ran into the room for his jacket where he had left it the night before and hurried to catch up with Marcel and the others.

"You can ride with me." Marcel smiled, ruffling Evan's hair before playfully shoving him into the elevator with the others. Evan nodded as the doors closed.

The Charger sped through the night, music playing loudly from the speakers. Evan sat in the back alone. Marcel didn't check on him like Tyler or Jonathan did. Sitting in front of him, Brock didn't look back. Evan didn't notice. He watched the city fly by, listening to the music. The wind whipped through Brock's open window, pulling at his hair. Behind them, Smitty and Daithi followed in Daithi's car, keeping pace with Marcel who took every advantage he had to speed up.

The cars finally slowed on a small street. Evan could see people lined around the corner of a building, most dressed up and looking like their shoes were starting to hurt. Marcel and Brock got out, leaving Evan stuck in the car until Brock pulled the passenger seat forward and held the door open for him. Evan followed them across the street to the building, past the people waiting to get inside the club. Evan's chest tightened a little.

"I don't have an ID though…" Evan said quietly to Brock who laughed.

"Don't worry about it." Marcel said, looking back at him with a smile.

"Stick with us and you'll be fine." Smitty said as Marcel waved to the bouncer and the group headed inside. The hallway they entered into was lit with a harsh neon red light. Loud music crashed over Evan as lights flashed at the end of the hall. The hall opened onto a large room, a bar at one end and a crowd of people dancing in the middle. Neon lights flashed in time with the music. Smitty playfully grabbed Evan's hand and pulled him into the crowd. For the first time, Evan realised that Smitty was barely three years older than him, the look of a wild teenager still present in his bright eyes. They stumbled through the crowd, dancing most of the way to the middle. Among all the people and the noise, Evan wasn't a missing kid with the weight of keeping Tyler's puzzle of a new family together alive. He was simply a kid. Yet when he took a deep breath, raising his arm in the air, Evan's pained lungs reminded him of the kicks and the punches. His chest tightened and the crowd seemed to close in on him.

Stumbling out of the crowd, awkwardly pushing his way past people and avoiding those trying to get through with drinks in their hand, he finally made it out of the crowd.

"Having fun?" Marcel suddenly asked, wrapping an arm around Evan's shoulders and guided him up a small set of stairs to some couches where the others were sitting.

"I...I'm just...That's a lot of people." Evan managed to call out over the music. Marcel nodded as they sat down.

"Got you a pop." Daithi slid the brightly coloured can towards Evan across the low table in between the couches. Evan stared at it, then slowly raised his gaze to Daithi and Brock. Daithi smiled, Brock did nothing.

"Thank you." Evan looked away from Brock, picking up the can and took a sip. The cold sugary pop was a relief.

"Do you think you're one of us?" Marcel asked. Evan's brow furrowed.

"No...Tyler said I was going home when this was over." Evan said before drinking more of his soda.

"Even so...Do you think you're one of us right now?" Evan glanced at Daithi and Brock. In the flashing lights, Evan could see the blue burst of hydrangeas on Brock's wrist. He didn't have any flowers on him, but neither did Smitty yet. Having a tattoo meant nothing. He didn't want to lie to Marcel and tell him that he hadn't been thinking about how he wanted to see them even after he went home and how he wanted to be brave like Tyler; like all of them.

"I don't know...I...I just...You saved me and-"

"Look…We're a family for a reason. We depend on each for survival. Tyler liking you means nothing. You gotta prove it." Marcel said, leaning back on the couch. "You gotta prove that we can like you. So far, we all doubt you."

"I have nothing to hide! You know everything about me!" Evan cried, feeling attacked. He should have seen this coming.

"What about the code?" Marcel asked, raising an eyebrow. Evan's right pocket felt heavy though there was nothing in it but a piece of paper.

"I can't tell you that…" Evan whispered.

"What was that? I didn't hear you." Marcel snapped.

"Marcel." Brock warned. Evan almost jumped at how stern his voice sounded. It was the first thing he had said all evening. Marcel sighed.

"We just wanna trust you is all...And we can't right now. We work as a group. The last job we did before you showed up was the first time doing a job with everyone. It felt right."

 _Water splashed up around the speed boat every time it hit a wave. Marcel's hair was damp with salt water, but it didn't distract him from the task at hand. On the other side of the boat, Tyler stared at the yacht ahead of them. The duffel bags in between them held their guns._

 _Jonathan slowed the boat down as it approached the yacht. Overhead, Lui's helicopter continued towards the large boat. Marcel could just make out Smitty and Daithi taking aim out the side of the helicopter. It was the first job he'd done since John and they were all worried about how he would perform now. Tyler looked up as Smitty opened fire, bullets raining down on the boat as the helicopter flew over it. They could hear the yelling and the gunshots firing back. In the front seat of the boat, Craig got up as the boat sped up towards the yacht only to come to a sudden stop beside it. Craig managed to scramble onto the yacht and tie the speed boat to the yacht with a rope to the side as Marcel, Brock, Tyler and Jonathan made their way onto the boat, their guns at the ready. They could hear the helicopter take another pass overhead, keeping the men on board distracted while they infiltrated it from the inside._

" _Hey!" Someone called out. Jonathan opened fire on the man, bullets ricocheting off the metal of the machinery and walls._

" _Careful, don't wanna blow it up!" Tyler warned, his voice muffled under his pig mask._

" _That'd make everything easy." Jonathan giggled. He was smiling under his mask. Marcel shook his head and pushed past them towards the stairs. There was another man at the top which startled Marcel but with one quick shot, he fell to the floor, blood spilling onto the polished marble. Marcel lead the way, stepping over the body and down the hall. The sight of blood still phased him, so he couldn't look down at it as he walked past._

" _Don't get sick." Craig said quietly behind him._

" _I'm not looking." Marcel said, glancing back at him over his shoulder. Craig smiled a little but it quickly faded as they rounded the corner only to duck out of the way as they were shot at. Tyler stepped out from behind them, firing down the hall at the men. Once the hall was clear, they made their way through the boat, searching for the 'packages' they had been hired to collect. With Jonathan watching his back, Marcel darted into one of the bedrooms, finding one of the packages on the bedside table beside a vase of roses. A bullet flew past Marcel's ear and hit the wall. He swore, turning to see a man duck behind the bathroom door. He shot at the door, chips of wood flying through the air. "Fuck!" Marcel spat when his gun clicked, forcing him to reload. The man behind the door ran at Marcel, forcing him to the throw the heavy package at him as hard as he could. There was a gunshot, the package exploding in a burst of white powder and blood as the man dropped to the floor. His blood turned the white drug red._

" _Why did you throw it?" Jonathan cried. "Now we're short one."_

" _What else was I supposed to do?" Marcel spat as they hurried back into the hallway towards the stairs. On the deck, the warm sun shone down the bloody scene. Tyler, Craig, and Brock had grouped together and were now keeping the deck clear as they waited for Daithi to drop the ladder from the helicopter to make their getaway. Jonathan and Marcel made their way across the deck towards the group, each taking a corner of the deck and fired at anything that moved. In their bags was the drugs they stole._

 _The ladder dropped from the sky above them. Tyler grabbed hold of the end, keeping it steady as they jumped onto it and climbed up towards the helicopter. Putting his gun in his bag, Marcel jumped onto the ladder after Jonathan, climbing as fast as he could despite how hard it was. His arms ached. He looked down, seeing a man running at Tyler with a gun in hand. "Smitty!" Marcel yelled when he looked back up. Seconds later, a gunshot crackled through the air. The man dropped dead with a burst of blood. Looking over the water, Marcel could see speedboats coming towards the yacht. They weren't police. "Tyler! We gotta go!" Marcel yelled down at Tyler before climbing the rest of the way to the helicopter where Brock and Smitty pulled him over the side. Tyler jumped onto the ladder as bullets ricocheted off the helicopter._

" _Go! Go!" Jonathan yelled. The helicopter rose into the sky, heading towards the shore. Marcel looked down to see Tyler looking back down at the boats from where he swung on the ladder. Tyler looked up at Marcel and managed to give him a thumbs up without falling off the ladder. Marcel smiled._

" _Nice job kid." Marcel said as he turned back to the others, high fiving Smitty who nodded shakily._

" _I'm glad I could do you guys proud." Smitty laughed._

" _We were worried you'd crack." Jonathan said bluntly._

" _I had faith in him." Brock smiled._

" _Thank you, Brock." Smitty said, a small smile playing on his lips. "I guess I'm over what happened." He shrugged. "I trust you guys and I'm glad you trust me."_

"Smitty proved it to us when he could have very easily have chosen not to. He told us his story and wanted to be a part of this family." Marcel finished, meeting Evan's far off gaze. He was imagining himself on that ladder, the wind whipping around him, the ocean sparkling below him. "Finish your soda, Evan. I want to hear your story." Snapped out of his daydream, Evan no longer felt welcome among the group. Doing what he was told, he finished his soda, setting the empty can down on the table before getting up and walking away from them. He wasn't sure how true Marcel's story was but he got the point.

He made his way back down the stairs, feeling Marcel's gaze on his back. He stumbled through the crowd, starting to feel dizzy. He ignored it, pushing through the crowd to find Smitty who was nowhere to be seen. The music almost became overwhelming, the lights flashing brightly around him. People seemed to move without reason or warning. Something wasn't right. He didn't feel right. He had to find Smitty, had to ask him what was happening, why Marcel didn't like him. His breath shortened, his head spun as he struggled to push through the crowd. What was happening?

He was floating. Evan stopped, his eyes wide. Everything looked like he was underwater. The crowd became a dark mass around him, interrupted by the flashing neon lights. Everything felt heavy; so heavy he thought he would sink through the floor. Slowly, he began to walk forward again, every step feeling heavier than the one before. A hand suddenly took his, pulling him further into the crowd. Evan blindly followed. He could barely make out Smitty's features through the dizzying blur. He found himself dancing again, sweat dripping down his neck. He heard Smitty laugh. He waved to someone behind Evan who barely noticed. Hands grabbed Evan's arms, yanking him out of the crowd. He tried to struggle as he was dragged from the club. He couldn't focus on what was happening but he knew he was surrounded. Red neon flashed around him. The hard pavement met Evan's face when he hit the ground a few moments later. He gasped in pain, hot blood filling his mouth as he bit his tongue. A hand grabbed the back of his collar and hauled him to his feet, slamming him against the wall.

"Tell us the code. That's all you gotta do." Marcel said sharply. Evan shook his head weakly. "But you think you're one of us? You think you can cosy up to Jonathan, Craig and Tyler?" Evan didn't respond. "No more games." Marcel spat. "You're gonna tell us the code."

"I-I…" Evan stammered. He was pinned with his chest and face against the wall, the brick scratching his cheek painfully. Marcel put more pressure on the back of his neck. "I can't…"

about the two other deals. How did they know?

"N-No...I just...Tyler's going to fix it…"

"He can't fix shit at this point." Daithi snapped from somewhere behind Evan.

"Why did you do it? Why did you turn Brian down? It could all be over!" Marcel yelled in Evan's ear. He flinched. "Why? Are you working with Brian?"

"I'm not! I-I'm sorry!" Evan cried. "I just...It was bad...Tyler said Brian would screw me over!"

"Tyler said this, Tyler said that." Marcel mocked him. "We aren't going to be responsible for your fucking mistakes! You aren't one of us! You've just proven to be a fucking waste of our time! And now you're gonna get us all killed if you don't tell us the damn code!" Tears welled up in Evan's eyes as he shook his head. He felt so heavy, he couldn't fight, he couldn't run.

"I c-can't tell you!" Marcel pulled Evan off the wall and threw him down on the road. He cried out in pain as he hit the pavement, his palms scraped and bloody. Struggling to get to his knees, he looked to his right, seeing a black car stop at the intersection. A sudden kick to his ribs threw him onto his back. Evan screamed in pain, covering his head with arms to brace for the impact of more kicks.

"Evan it's for your own good, just tell us!" Brock cried. Evan didn't say a word. The world blurred around him. He felt like he was going to black out. There was another kick.

"Tell us!" Marcel yelled. Again, Evan could say nothing. "Smitty." There was the sound of a gun being cocked. Evan slowly lowered his arms, looking up at Smitty who stared back down at him, a gun in his hand. It was aimed at Evan's head. There was something apologetic in Smitty's gaze. Flowers growing up alongside the building swayed in the breeze.

"Killing you puts all of us, including Brian, back at square one. The bounty is gone...The deals are meaningless." Smitty said quietly. "Or you can tell us the code and we will protect you. We will see you home." Evan took a deep, shaking breath. He had made Adam a promise. He couldn't tell. He stared at the end of the gun that was pointed at his head, his breath catching in his throat. The world was spinning.

"Evan." Marcel warned. He opened his mouth to say it but couldn't. Smitty's grip tightened on the gun. Evan's gaze was locked on the barrel of the gun. He couldn't say it.

Headlights on either side of them suddenly illuminated the dark street, making them jump. Smitty turned away from Evan, pointing the gun at the white Corvette that sped towards them, screeching to a halt as the blue BMW on the other side of them did. Evan wanted the world to stop spinning, to stop blurring in and out of focus.

"Put that fucking gun down now." Tyler yelled. Evan could see him as he crossed in front of the Corvette's headlights. Smitty looked back at Marcel, confused and terrified. Tyler grabbed Smitty's hand that was holding the gun and hit his elbow before kicking his legs out from under him, sending Smitty crashing to the pavement as he yanked the gun from his hands. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"You picked some fucking kid over us, Tyler!" Marcel yelled. "You picked his life over ours!"

"I didn't make any fucking choices except for choosing to continue to pursue the code! This could be the last job we ever have to do!" Tyler yelled back.

"Why didn't you tell us about the deal Brian want to make with Evan and the threat he made to you?" Daithi demanded.

"We're your family, Tyler! You promised you'd tell us everything! You promised us no one was going to join us or come between us after Luke!" Brock cried.

"You lied to us?" Attention turned to Craig who stood beside Jonathan, his eyes wide and locked on Tyler.

"I didn't lie! I wasn't going to fill your heads with mindless fear over Brian!"

"We're here so you don't have to do this alone!" Craig yelled.

"Oh, that's a fucking relief!" Craig almost screamed at Tyler.

"Because you didn't tell us...Brian is coming for us tomorrow!" Smitty cried. Evan couldn't move. He laid on the pavement, looking up at the light polluted sky as they argued around him. Tears fell down the sides of his face, dampening his hair and falling onto the pavement.

"Just give him the kid. What the fuck is the point anymore?" Marcel snapped.

"Don't say that, please!" Tyler cried. "I knew you would all react like this whether you found out on your own or I told you. I can't have that. Not now. We are so close. Evan knows the code. We just have to wait for the location. If we can wait that long, we've won. No more Brian. You know that! I have been working my fucking ass off trying to get that location. I've done it all for you! I know you can fight back! No matter what Brian does! We can fight back!" Tyler was desperate. He was trying to hold the broken pieces together, trying to gather the petals up.

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Marcel snarled.

"Can you stand?" Craig said quietly as he knelt down beside Evan who slowly turned his gaze to look up at Craig. He nodded. Craig wrapped Evan's arm around his shoulders and gently pulled him up to his feet with help from Jonathan. "I'm sorry you got caught up in this." Craig lead Evan to the blue car, not looking back at Tyler and the others. The others hadn't stopped fighting but Evan had stopped listening. The world blurred in and out focus. His ribs felt like they were burning with every breath he took. Jonathan opened the back seat of the BMW, helping Craig get Evan inside. Craig turned back to the group, a hurt look on his face.

"What did they give you?" Jonathan asked Evan quietly, leaning down to be level with Evan who laid his head back on the headrest.

"A-A...soda." Evan managed to say. Jonathan sighed and started to stand up to close the door. "Jonathan…" Evan weakly grabbed his blue sleeve, making him lean back down to meet Evan's blurry gaze. "Are you going to kill me?" Jonathan paused, staring at Evan.

"No, Evan." Jonathan finally said. "I'm not going to kill _you_."


	9. Chapter 9

"That stings…" The bedroom was quiet and felt safe to Evan after what had happened not even an hour ago. Evan couldn't remember much of what happened after Jonathan had closed the car door. He had slipped into unconsciousness as whatever drug that had been put in his drink took full effect. He came to only for a few moments to find Jonathan and Craig carrying him from the elevator to the apartment door. He awoke again when a cotton ball with an antiseptic was pressed against the cuts on his cheek.

"I know. It won't last long." Craig said quietly, tossing the bloody cotton ball into the trash and reached for a new one from a bag on the floor beside him. Evan looked around, his head still feeling heavy. He lay on Tyler's bed, lights from the city turning the white ceiling orange. The bedside lamp was on. On the dresser across the room, the pig mask watched Evan from where it lay beside a vase of red roses. Beside the mask was his red jacket.

Evan slowly turned his head to watch Craig as he applied a bit more of the antiseptic to the new cotton ball. "Can I see your hands?" He asked. Evan nodded. Craig lifted Evan's left hand, gently rubbing at the cuts on his palm. Evan noticed the tears in Craig's eyes.

"I'm sorry." Evan whispered. Craig stopped, looking down at him with a furrowed brow.

"Why are you sorry? If anyone should be apologising it should be Tyler and Marcel." Craig said sharply.

"No...They didn't climb that fence...They didn't talk to Adam." Evan's voice broke. Craig shook his head.

"You're the bravest kid I know." Craig let go of Evan's hand and gently pulled him into a hug. Closing his eyes, Evan rested his head against Craig's shoulder. "You did the right thing."

"It doesn't feel like it." Evan whispered.

"I know." Craig sighed. "I'm sorry they hurt you...It's not excusable." He moved away from the hug, going back to cleaning the cuts on Evan's hand. "It's just what people like us do in these kinds of situations. With our backs against the wall, we lash out at we assume to be the weakest link in the chain that is holding us down."

"I don't hate them. I'm not mad at them." Evan said quietly, wincing against the stinging alcohol on his hand. "Smitty didn't want to do it." Craig looked at him with a confused expression. "I saw it in his face. The way he looked at me. He didn't want to shoot me. He wasn't going to do it, even if you hadn't shown up." Craig stared at him for a few moments, then nodded.

"I think so too."

"You're angry too, aren't you?" Evan whispered. Craig didn't meet his gaze when he nodded.

"I am."

"I understand. I would be too. I understand why they were violent. Tomorrow you could all die because of me. If I was you, I wouldn't be helping me." Evan said. The roses on the dresser looked dark and bloody in the neon glow coming from the city outside. Neither of them said anything for awhile. "Where's Tyler?" Evan finally asked, looking up at Craig with big eyes. He still felt light headed and his short pained breaths didn't help but he had to see Tyler. He wanted to tell him that it would be okay, that he shouldn't be upset with the others.

"He's in his office."

"Can you get him?" Craig glanced at him, thinking about what he should do for a few moments before he got up and walked towards the door. He returned a few minutes later with Tyler who looked exhausted. "I'll wait out here." Craig said to Tyler and closed the door.

"Hey...How are you feeling?" Tyler asked as he sat down the bed beside Evan. Evan didn't answer, he simply sat up and pulled Tyler into a hug despite the pain in his ribs, surprising Tyler.

"Thank you." Evan said, pressing his face against Tyler's chest.

"F-For what?" Tyler slowly wrapped his arms around Evan, leaning his head against the top of Evan's head.

"Saving my life."

"Anyone would have." Tyler said quietly. Evan nodded but he doubted that. He hugged Tyler more tightly. Tears spilt down his face as a sob rattled his shoulders. "Hey, its okay." Tyler ran a gentle hand through his hair. "You're alive...And as long as I'm alive too, nothing bad is ever going to happen to you again. I promise."

"I want to go home." Evan sobbed.

"I know." Tyler sighed.

"I want to see my mom again...I don't want these numbers. I don't want any of this. I just want to go home." Tyler couldn't say anything. He stayed silent, letting Evan cry against his chest. He cried for the man that Ryan had killed. He cried for Tyler and his makeshift family who were all in danger now because of the promise he made. He cried for his mom. He cried for the broken flowers left behind at a motel in San Diego.

Tyler held him the whole time, quietly reassuring him when he mumbled out his fears. Exhaustion crashed over Evan after a while, leaving him hiccuping, his tear stained face pressed against Tyler.

"Get some sleep." Tyler whispered. "It will all be okay."

The clock on Tyler's bedside table ticked past four am. Evan couldn't sleep. Craig had finished tending to his cuts and scraps a few hours ago and had wrapped his ribs for the night. There wasn't much that could be done for his ribs but the occasional wrapping, but even then it shouldn't be for very long. Evan stared up at the ceiling, his mind overflowing with fears for the day to come. Everything was worst case scenario. He wanted to call his mom.

Wincing as he sat up, Evan managed to swing his legs over the side of the bed. He stood slowly, leaning against the bed as he started towards the door. He stopped suddenly though, his hand on the door handle. Across the room, the pig mask stared at him. Evan turned away from the door and made his way across the room. He stopped in front of the dresser, raising a hand to touch the red petals of one of the large roses in the vase. Then he turned his attention to the mask. He stared at it, wondering if Tyler would notice. He picked it up with both hands, seeing flecks of red on the pink rubber. Evan turned the mask in his hands and lifted it over his head. It was a bit big, feeling loose around his head but he could still see out of it.

Taking a pained breath, Evan smiled.

Morning light shone through the large windows of the apartment. Evan sat at the dining room table, watching the others who were scattered about the living room, either still asleep or wide awake, never having fallen asleep the night before. Smitty sat on the couch, hugging his knees to his chest. He had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Every so often, he would look up at Evan as if waiting for him to start yelling at him. He probably thought he deserved it for what he did. Marcel lay on the floor on his sleeping bag, not acknowledging anyone. No one had seen Tyler all morning.

"Hey, Evan?" Jonathan suddenly sat down beside Evan, a worried look on his face. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay." Evan whispered, looking down at his bowl of cereal.

"Do you wanna go for a drive? Just to get away from the stress in here?" Jonathan asked. "I'm sure it's hard to be around everyone right now for you." Evan looked up at him, then over his shoulder to the others.

"Okay." Evan nodded. Jonathan smiled and got up, leaving Evan to finish his breakfast. He couldn't eat though. He managed to take a few more bites before dumping it out, leaving the bowl in the sink and hurried down the hall to the bedroom. He grabbed his red coat where Craig had left it folded on the dresser. He pulled it on and froze.

One of the pockets was open.

"Oh god…" He couldn't breathe. He reached into the pocket, knowing already that it would be empty.

"Evan?" Jonathan called down the hallway. Evan's shaking hands dropped the jacket. It couldn't have been Craig, it couldn't have been Jonathan or Tyler. It couldn't have! His mind was racing. He was going to be sick. He couldn't breathe. "Are you coming?" Evan took as deep a breath he could, his hands curling into fists.

"Four, one, eight, two, five." Evan whispered. He still knew it. Maybe it had fallen out of his pocket and someone who those numbers had no relevance to, found it and threw it out. Evan nodded at that thought, convincing himself that that was what happened. No one had taken it. They would have to have known it was there. They would have to have known he would write it down.

"Evan?" A knock on the bedroom door startled him. He spun around quickly to see Jonathan standing in the doorway. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." Evan managed to say. Jonathan stared at him. "I'm fine." Evan said again.

"Then lets go." Jonathan smiled, turning away from the door. Evan picked up the red jacket and hurried after Jonathan, the dark eyes of the pig mask watching him go.

The blue BMW sped along the quiet road that went up the mountain side. Jonathan took turns sharply, smiling every time the tyres squealed like a pig. Evan didn't look at Jonathan. They had sat in silence for most of the drive. Jonathan had stopped asking him if he was okay. It gave Evan a thought that he couldn't shake. Where had Jonathan gone last night? Why did he seem unsurprised at Tyler lying to them? At Marcel and the others drugging and beating him? Who was driving that car that had pulled up and watched them? Fidgeting with his red sleeve, Evan looked out the window at the flower bushes on the side of the road.

"Jonathan?" Evan asked.

"Yeah?"

"Where did you go last night?"

"What?"

"Where did you go when they took me to that club?"

"Just some errands." Jonathan shrugged. "Marcel was talking about how angry he was with Tyler and it was tense."

"So you left me?" Evan finally turned his head. His fear of the missing piece of paper was making him angry now.

"I didn't mean to leave you. I didn't think that they would actually go through with it...I mean, they had asked me what they should do." Evan's chest tightened. Everyone but him and Tyler had known. A more frightening thought brought a tremor back to his hands. Had Jonathan given them the idea?

"What did you say they should do?" Evan breathed. Jonathan didn't hear him over the engine.

"Look. Everyone knows now. Everyone knows what could happen today. They know they were wrong now to go after who they thought was the weakest link." Jonathan explained. He glanced at Evan and smiled. There was something dark in his eyes. "I know you aren't the weakest link." Evan stared back at him, wondering who he thought was the weakest link.

Looking away, Evan held a hand out the open window, feeling the wind through his fingers. He wanted to go home. He should never have climbed that fence.

"Have you seen my phone?"

"No."

Evan stood in the kitchen, a cup of cold water in his hand. Beside him was a new vase of roses on the counter. Jonathan turned away from Smitty, his right-hand curling into a fist and uncurling. Evan watched Jonathan walk out of the living room towards Craig's room then glanced at Smitty who had gone back to playing a game on his phone. He could hear Tyler, Craig and Jonathan's voices drifting down the hall. Marcel, Daithi and Brock sat around the living room around Smitty, the TV on quietly. When they had gotten back from their drive, Jonathan and Evan found that Lui had arrived who explained that he was nervous to be alone today. Now he sat at the dining room table by the window, the apartment across the street visible over his shoulder. With a beer in hand, Lui watched the city, his other hand nervously tapping against the table. Evan glanced at the door that lead to the office then back at the others. No one would notice. He wasn't going to take anything, he was just curious. He wasn't looking for anything. Setting his cup down, Evan took a slow step towards the door. No one was looking at him. Evan swallowed, taking a deep breath and reached for the door handle, opening the door just wide enough for him to get inside before closing it behind him.

Taking another deep breath, Evan leaned his head back against the closed door. He was sick of waiting for this day to be over. He was sick of feeling useless. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the far wall and the weapons there. He glanced at the map, then to the window on the other wall. He could see the building across the street and the city beyond. His dark gaze turned back to the white neon wall and the guns there. Tyler's handgun was gone, but there was a slightly larger gun above the empty hook. Before he could think about it, Evan moved across the room and took it off the hook. It was heavier than the handgun, but with two hands, he was still able to hold it up. This time, he turned towards the window, imagining how cool it would be to shoot out the glass.

A phone started to ring.

Evan lowered the gun, his gaze locked on Jonathan's phone on the desk. Setting the gun down on the desk, Evan picked up the phone, staring at Brian's name on the screen. His hands were shaking. The phone stopped vibrating, going to voicemail. Evan swiped his thumb across the screen to open the phone but was stopped when it asked for a code. Jonathan's passcode was five numbers. His hands wouldn't stop shaking as he pressed at random five numbers. It wasn't right. He tried again and it still wouldn't unlock. His mind went to the missing piece of paper and the open pocket. Evan pressed four, then one, then eight, two and five.

The phone unlocked.

Evan dropped the phone, covering his face with his hands to stop himself from screaming in anger and fear. He stared down at the phone, running his hands through his hair. Jonathan had been lying to him this whole time. He had been talking with Brian. He knew the code. He stole it from him. Evan felt used.

Taking a shuddering breath, Evan forced himself to pick up the phone again, clicking on the phone app. Brian and Luke's names filled the previous calls list. Fearing the worst, he opened the missed calls list, scrolling back to the day he had spent with Jonathan. It wasn't Tyler that had called Jonathan, it was Brian. Jonathan had shown Evan a screenshot from a different day and he had been foolish enough to believe it. The list of calls disappeared as the phone began to ring again, Brian's name at the top of the black screen. Evan answered.

"Jonathan?" Brian snapped.

"No." Evan said quietly. He heard Brian take a breath, surprised.

"Evan." Brian said, probably for anyone around him. "I've missed you. Have you thought more about that deal? It's still on the table. It's not too late."

"How long has Jonathan been lying?" Evan asked, his hand reaching for the gun on the desk as if he could do anything with it.

"Longer than he's known you." Brian said. "It's a shame really that it's come to this, he said he likes you."

"He used me."

"It's nothing personal." Brian was smiling, Evan knew it. "If you give me the code, you can stay best friends with Jonathan. I promise."

"You are still going to kill everyone."

"Again, nothing personal. Tyler's just been in my way for far too long." Brian said casually. Evan said nothing, his grip tightening on the gun. "What is best for you right now is give me the code before Jonathan does. We both know that Jonathan is a liar and everything he says should always be taken with a grain of salt. You care about him and I care about that code. Let's not let him stab us both in the back, especially for you, a second time." Evan remained silent. He did care about Jonathan but he felt undeniably hurt. "That gun you're holding." Evan froze, looking up at the window. Brian could see him. "You want to do something with it, don't you? With everything that has happened, you've had no agency over it. You've been thrown around and none of it has been under your control. You want control over your life again, don't you?"

"Yes."

"I can give you control if you give me the code." Evan stared out the window at the building across the street. His hand holding the phone was sweating. He could say yes. He could give Brian the code and go home but he couldn't stop thinking that if Jonathan was lying to him, who else was lying to him? He shook his head, Tyler and Craig weren't liars. Marcel and the others weren't liars. They are scared and desperate but not liars. They wanted to protect each other, they had to protect each other and Jonathan had spat in the face of that. For Tyler and his family, Evan could not tell Brian the code. Tyler needed the code. It was the last job they would ever have to do. Evan looked up at the window, taking a deep breath.

"No. I made a promise."

"So you'll give up control over your life because of a promise you made to a dying man?" Brian sounded annoyed.

"I have control." Evan said sharply. "It's my choice not to tell you."

"We'll see about that." Brian hung up. Evan lowered the phone from his ear, his hands shaking. What had he done? He quickly left the room, not bothering to put the gun back. No one had noticed. He grabbed his cup of water, taking a nervous sip.

The new roses on the counter had sharper thorns than the other ones.

Jonathan stepped out of Craig's room, looking up to see Evan staring at him.

The window suddenly shattered, then the vase of roses shattered. The cup in Evan's hand dropped to the counter, glass and water spilling across the counter top.

"Get down!" Lui screamed.

Evan dropped to the glass covered floor as bullets flew through the air. Red petals fell around him.


	10. Chapter 10

With his shaking arms over his head, Evan couldn't hear much save for the bullets hitting the walls and furniture. He could hear raised voices but couldn't make out the words. He could barely breathe, his fear paralyzing him. Loud shots, louder than the ones coming from across the street, made Evan jump. Looking up, he could see Lui holding his gun, taking aim through the broken window and firing back before ducking back under the table. Evan lowered his head, trying to breathe but it was impossible. His hands shook against his head.

"Evan!" Someone suddenly slid on the glass and petals, grabbing his shoulder roughly. Evan looked up, seeing the blue of Jonathan's hoodie. Without thinking, he quickly sat up and threw Jonathan's hand off him.

"Don't touch me!" Evan screamed. Jonathan stared at Evan as he scrambled back on the glass covered floor. He winced as a sharp piece of glass dug into his hand, making him cry out in pain. He fell against the counter, still trying to get away from Jonathan who simply stared. He didn't look confused or shocked and it terrified Evan.

"Evan?" Tyler called out over the gunshots. "Evan!" He scrambled to his feet, keeping low as he ran towards Tyler who was behind the couch. Evan collapsed onto Tyler, hugging him tightly, unable to stop the sobs from raking his bruised chest. Blood from his hand smeared on Tyler's shirt. "Are you hurt?" Evan shook his head, as Tyler gently rubbed his back, turning to glance over the couch. "You're okay. You're okay. Just stay here with me, you'll be okay." Evan turned his head to the counter where Jonathan was crouched on the other side. He knew.

When the shooting finally stopped and the dry wall and feathers from pillows falling through the air landed on the counters, tables and the floor, Evan found himself slowly standing up. The apartment was in ruins. Glass and pieces of drywall littered the floor. The furniture was ripped and riddled with holes. The windows were gone, the wind creeping into the ruins. Rose petals covered the floor like drops of blood. Evan's hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"Are you okay?" Tyler asked quietly. Evan looked up at him, his left-hand curling around his right. As he shook his head, he pressed his thumb against the top of his bleeding hand. "Take a deep breath. We're all okay. I'll be right back." Tyler promised and hurried over to -the others, checking on them. Evan watched Tyler help Jonathan to his feet, giving him a reassuring smile. Evan's bloody hand curled into a fist. It stung.

"Was your hand cut?" Craig walked up to him, looking shocked but okay. He reached for Evan's right hand, slowly uncurling his fingers. "The glass?" Evan nodded. "It doesn't look too deep. I'll have to clean it first to determine for sure though. It might require stitches." Craig rambled. Evan let him talk, able to think of something else other than Jonathan and his phone.

"Are the others okay?" Evan managed to ask. Smitty was leaning against the wall by one of the blown out windows, unloading his gun. Marcel and the others were sitting on the floor, their heads turning as Tyler walked over to them. Lui was sitting at the chipped dining room table, his head in his hands. Evan turned his head in time to see the office door closing. Craig didn't answer Evan's question. He was gone, looking for his supplies. Evan's bloody hand shook.

Across the room, Smitty looked up from his gun, meeting Evan's wide eyed stare. Evan quickly looked away as there was movement out of the corner of his eye. The office door opened. Jonathan stepped out of the room, his eyes on his phone. Evan watched Jonathan as he stopped, staring intently at something on the screen. Evan knew it what it was; there was a new call on the recents list. Jonathan blinked and looked up at Evan again with a cold, blank expression. Evan didn't look up at him, though he watched him from the corner of his eye. He could hardly breathe. He knew Jonathan knew that Evan was aware of his betrayal, of his knowledge of the code, but he also couldn't hide his fear of Jonathan. Taking a deep breath, Evan forced himself to look at Jonathan full on. He couldn't be afraid, he couldn't let Jonathan think he was afraid though he had a feeling that there was nothing he could do. If he told anyone, would they believe him?

"Hey, are you okay?" Smitty suddenly asked, making Evan jump. He turned his head away from Jonathan, looking at Smitty who now stood beside him, his rifle still in his hand. Evan managed to nod. "Let's go find Craig so he can take care of your hand." Smitty said, wrapping an arm around Evan's shoulders and guided him towards the hall. Evan glanced back over his shoulder at Jonathan who met his gaze with a smile. Fear seized him, forcing him to turn away quickly and move closer to Smitty. He was grateful when Smitty guided him into Craig's room where he sat down on the bed, his left hand pressed against his bloody right hand.

"Can I see?" Craig asked, holding his hand out to Evan who slowly let go of his right hand. He winced when Craig cleaned it with an antiseptic cloth. Smitty sat beside him, his gun leaning against the bed.

"It's really scary the first time you get into a shooting like that." Smitty said after a few minutes of silence. "I completely understand how you feel, Evan. I've been there. I still get scared. Hell...I'm scared right now." He held his left hand out so Evan could see it shake. Smitty curled his hand into a fist, taking a deep breath. "They didn't always shake. I used to have such a steady shot...But then-"

"Smitty. You don't have to." Craig suddenly said. Smitty looked up at him and shrugged.

"It's cool. I had a friend...Fuck, he was my best friend...He kinda shattered my confidence. He broke everything. I hesitate when I never did before. You wouldn't think that but I do. Every time I look through that scope, I hesitate. One of these days, it's gonna get one of us killed, I swear." He paused, taking a deep breath. "His name is John, not our Jonathan, someone else. He's with Brian now, I think. Hell for all I know, he's dead." Smitty took a deep breath, running a hand through his dark hair. "It just came out of nowhere you know...But I guess that's how it goes with these things. If you're the one getting stabbed in the back, you never see it coming."

 _The old sports car cruised down the palm-tree lined street. Smitty tapped his fingers against the ribbed steering wheel in time to the music playing. He had just had the car fixed and painted pure white, a goofy milk cartoon sticker smacked on the back before today's job. Beside him, John stared straight ahead, taking a drag from the vape pen in his hand. He exhaled, a cloud of white vapour escaping his lips and floated out the open window._

" _This guy apparently has his own crew but he said he isn't involving them in this directly." John explained, smoke floating around him._

" _You trust him on that?" Smitty asked, glancing at John for a moment before looking back at the road._

" _Fuck no." John laughed. "I have heard that he's reliable though. He knows what he's doing."_

" _What's his name again?"_

" _Pretty sure it's Tyler. Turn here." John said quickly. Smitty turned right onto a quiet suburban street, the small houses lined with chain link fences and dry, dying flower gardens. As they drove past a house that had had better days, John pointed to it with a smile. "That's it. Keep going. We'll circle around. I don't see Tyler around." Smitty turned the corner, driving around the quiet block. As the white car turned the next corner, John urged Smitty to stop and pull over when they saw the black and white Corvette parked at the side of the road. "It's just this one job with this guy and then we'll be back on our own." John said as Smitty turned the key. Smitty met John's gaze and nodded. "I promise." John smiled._

" _Sounds good." Smitty smiled despite the odd tone in John's voice and got out of the car. He walked to the back and opened the trunk, pulling out the heavy black duffel bag. John got out of the car, his phone in his hand as he closed the door. Smitty watched him send a text before putting the phone back in his jacket pocket. "Who was that?" Smitty asked._

" _No one." John said. "Just a cute girl." He teased. Smitty rolled eyes._

" _Can't you save that for later?" Smitty chided. John didn't respond for the driver's door of the Corvette opened, a tall blonde man stepping into the warm Los Angeles sunlight._

" _Are you Tyler?" John asked._

" _Are you John?" The other man asked._

" _Yeah, and this is Smitty." John nodded, crossing his arms._

" _Nice to meet you." Tyler said. "About the money-"_

" _We were all going to go even." John said to remind Tyler of what they must have already talked about._

" _I don't want any of it. I just want to make sure it doesn't go where it's supposed to." Tyler explained. Smitty's brow furrowed in confusion. He wished that John had told him more about this job._

" _Where is it supposed to go?" Smitty asked. John glanced back at him with a slightly annoyed look._

" _A vault." Tyler said. Smitty looked up at Tyler, his confusion still not cleared up. "When people here in the city do a job and can't keep that much money around loosely, they ask these people to keep it in their vault until they launder it or whatever they do with the cash. These guys have made the mistake of keeping the money in this house and unless you take it, it's going to the vault. That's a lot of fucking money and I don't want it in the vault." Tyler explained. John glanced around the street nervously, clearly uncomfortable with Tyler telling Smitty this. Smitty was now more confused by John's nervousness than anything else._

" _Why don't you want it to go to the vault?" Smitty asked cautiously._

" _That doesn't matter. Can we go?" Tyler asked._

" _Yeah." John said, leading the way down the street. Smitty glanced nervously at Tyler as he passed before hurrying to catch up with John._

" _Why didn't you tell me that?" Smitty demanded._

" _It's not a big deal, Smitty." John sighed._

" _Yes it is! It's a big fucking deal! We could piss off some seriously powerful guys!" Smitty cried._

" _This isn't fucking GTA, Smitty! Get your fucking shit together." John snarled, turning suddenly to face Smitty who took a step back from his angry friend. "We were going to take this money anyways and Tyler joined us cause it worked with his agenda. Whatever happens, as a result, isn't our problem, it's Tyler's. If he's playing with the 'big boys' then good for him." John turned away, continuing around the corner. Smitty stared after him; John was never like this before a job. Smitty shouldered the duffel bag and followed John as Tyler caught up to him._

" _Everything okay?" Tyler asked quietly._

" _Yeah." Smitty said a lot harsher than he meant to. Tyler didn't say anything else. Before they reached the chainlink fence of the house, Smitty set his bag down, reaching inside it to pull out his gun, and cocked it before swinging his bag back over his shoulder. He tossed the gun to John and climbed over the fence, dropping into a small, dead garden. There was only a small pink rose plant struggling to survive, it's pink petals wilted. Smitty took the gun back, glancing back at Tyler who climbed it with ease. He couldn't help but notice though that Tyler had difficulty closing his right hand completely into a fist. John and Tyler loaded their handguns as they took position on either side of the front door, letting Smitty go first with his larger gun._

 _With one hard kick, the flimsy door swung open. The nineteen-year-old dropped the bag as he opened fire on the living room, the men counting the money inside dropping to the floor, desperately reaching for their weapons. Tyler and John followed him inside. Smitty took covered in the hallway, reloading his gun before stepping back into the living room, not hesitating as he pulled the trigger. When the room was clear, they made their way through the rest of the house, finding the rest of the cash and anyone else who was there. Smitty did one last circle through the house before finding John in the living room, his gun held tight in his right hand and a solemn look on his face._

" _That's it." John said, kicking at a broken flower vase on the floor. Smitty looked down at the coffee table behind John which was completely covered with wads of hundred dollar bills. Smitty reached for his bag that he had left by the door, walking towards the coffee table. John suddenly stopped him, pushing him back. "That's not your money."_

" _What do you mean?" Smitty asked, confused. He looked back at Tyler as he walked into the room. John's grip tightened on his gun._

" _It's not yours. It's not mine. It's going in the vault." John said sharply. Outside, a white van pulled up out front the house. Tyler's eyes widened._

" _John...John don't do this. It's not too late to fix whatever you've done." Tyler said frantically. Smitty's chest tightened, a rock forming in his throat. "Fuck! You don't even know where the vault is! No one does except the people that own it! Not even Brian knows! Why are you doing this?"_

" _John...What did you do?" Smitty choked out._

" _You're going nowhere, Smitty." John spat. "Look at you. Nothing but an emotional fucking kid. With you, I'm not going anywhere in this world. With Brian...I can have everything."_

" _John…." Tyler sighed with disappointment. "He'll give you nothing."_

" _How do you know? You've been against Brian ever since you ran away from daddy." John snapped. "How would you know? Brian's done some good for this city. What have you done? Nothing but take. You're a parasite, Tyler. A weed in the rose garden. There is no good or evil, no black or white like you want there to be. Brian has made lives so much better. We're not fighting like dogs on the street anymore. It's about time you open your eyes." He turned away from Tyler to face Smitty. "You can have it too, Smitty. Put your gun down, and come with me. Just the two of us. I promise."_

" _No…." Smitty shook his head. "No."_

" _Smitty, don't be dumb."_

" _I'm not!" Smitty yelled, raising his gun at John who's eyes widened. He took a nervous step back, raising his hands as if to surrender._

" _You won't do it. You're hesitating." John smiled. "Because you love me, Smitty. I've always been there for you. You won't kill me."_

" _Shut up!" Smitty wailed. "I only want to hear one thing. Tell me you didn't do this!" John stayed silent. Smitty's hands started to shake, his grip loosening on his gun. "Tell me!" He screamed._

" _Smitty…"_

" _You just called me an emotional kid and now you want me to join you?" Movement out of the corner of his eye made Smitty turn. Behind Tyler, a man in a black hoodie had stepped inside. Smitty fired a shot in his direction, wood splinters flying off the door as Tyler ducked, turning to look at the man behind him who fell back, stumbling down the front step. Smitty turned back when John suddenly grabbed the gun, pulling it roughly out of Smitty's hands and hit him harshly in the face with his handgun. Pain spread through his face and blood began to drip from his nose. Smitty fell back to the bloody carpet, landing on his back, the wind knocked out of him. He didn't have time to regain it as John kicked him hard in the ribs. He let out a cry of pain, curling into a ball._

" _Where are your keys?" John demanded. Smitty's blurry gaze landed on Tyler who had his hands up, the man in the grey hoodie holding a gun to his head. "Where are the fucking keys, Smitty?"_

" _In the bag." Smitty cried, tears spilling down his face to the carpet. The man in the grey hoodie motioned to someone outside and two others with duffel bags entered the house, quickly getting to work filling the bags with the cash. John stepped over Smitty, keeping the gun pointed at him. Desperately, Smitty reached for John's leg, wrapping his arms around his ankle, nearly tripping him. "No! John please! Don't do this!" Smitty cried as John kicked him in an attempt to make him let go. "Please! You made a promise!"_

" _Let him go." Tyler said, startling Smitty who looked up at him, tears and blood smeared across his face. "Let him go, Smitty." Smitty shook his head, holding on tighter to John's ankle. He finally kicked hard enough to force Smitty to let go, his face bruised and bloody. Smitty laid there while they gathered up the money, and without a word, left. John left Smitty on the bloody carpet without even saying goodbye. Brian had made John hate him and it broke his heart. "I'm sorry." Tyler finally said. Smitty shook his head._

" _It's not your fault."_

" _He got the money...But I don't think he'll find out where that vault is… If that makes you feel any better." Tyler said quietly, sitting down on the floor beside him._

" _It doesn't." Smitty's hands were still shaking._

Smitty stopped, rubbing his eyes to get rid of the tears. His story had distracted Evan from the pain of Craig cleaning the cut on his hand and stitching it. Evan stared at Smitty, imagining himself there to comfort Smitty, to tell him that he understood. He imagined himself laying on that bloody carpet, and Jonathan standing over him before turning away, walking out of his life. "It's a shitty story, I know." Smitty said, his eyes still filled with tears. "I know that if I ever see John again… I won't know what to do. I won't know if I should pull the trigger or not. I had heard that when Adam died, he took down someone with him...I don't know if that was John and frankly, I don't want to know. It's better not to know. He manipulated me, tried to make me think something because I cared about him. I still do, but I can't accept what he did. It took a while, but I joined Tyler and the guys, and every day it's slowly been getting better."

Evan turned to look up at Craig then down at his hand, the palm held together with black stitches. Craig let go of Evan's hand so he could turn to Smitty and pull him into a warm hug. He leaned his head against Smitty's shoulder, feeling comfort in that he was only a few years older than him and had endured something similar. If Smitty could survive, Evan could survive.

Evan stood in front of the bathroom mirror, roses on the counter beside him. He stared at his reflection, watching his dark eyes blink. There were dark, tired circles under his eyes. Lowering his gaze from the mirror, Evan looked down at his gauze wrapped right-hand. He wondered if this was what Tyler's hand looked like after Brian took a hammer to it. He pressed his thumb to the top his head, his other fingers against his cut palm. It stung. Blood turned the gauze red. He stopped after a couple of seconds, turning his right hand over to look at the few spots of blood along his palm.

"Evan!" Craig called out. "We're leaving now." Snapped out of his thoughts, Evan painfully curled his hand into a fist, not wanting Craig to see the new blood on his hand. He turned off the light, grabbing the plastic bag with his few belongings inside and hurried down the hall to where the others were gathered with large backpacks and duffel bags. They had waited a few hours before quickly packing up their things, preparing to head to their other hideout. In the commotion, Evan had slipped back into the office and taken the silly little green and purple coloured knife off the wall. If he couldn't fire a gun, maybe he'd have the courage to use the knife if he had to.

Standing close to Craig and Tyler, Evan knew Jonathan was watching him. He didn't stop watching him as they rode the elevator down to the parking garage and walked to the cars. Evan only got relief from the constant staring when he got into Tyler's Corvette, his gauzed covered hand reaching into his pocket to run his fingers over the handle of the small blade.

"It'll all be okay." Tyler said as he drove the Corvette out of the garage. Evan looked up at him, wondering who he was saying that to; Tyler looked just as shaken up as he did if not more so. "I'm just...I don't want to scare you...but someone had to have told Brian where we were...No one except us knew we were there."

"I didn't tell anyone." Evan said, looking up at Tyler who gave him a smile.

"I know you didn't." Tyler said, keeping his eyes on the road. "I trust you."

"I trust you too."

The new apartment that Evan stood in the middle of while the others settled in, was smaller. There was, however, a vase of roses on the kitchen table. He sat down on the couch, reaching inside his jacket to the blade as Jonathan entered the living room.

"Can I talk with everyone?" Jonathan asked loudly, Evan's chest tightening. Tyler and the others gathered around him, waiting to hear what he had to say. Jonathan took a deep breath, looking scared. "Someone has been using my phone. It's not just to play games or whatever, someone has used it to contact Brian."

"What?" Tyler cried, anger filling his voice. The others raised their voices in anger and fear, looking at those around them with fearful glances. Jonathan wanted them to fear each other. Tears welled up in Evan's eyes.

"I had lost my phone this morning before the shooting and when I found it, there was a call to Brian just before the shooting happened." Jonathan explained. Evan's hands curled tightly into fists despite the pain. He parted his lips to call Jonathan out on his lies but found he could say nothing. Jonathan met Evan's desperate, hurt gaze; Evan could have sworn he smiled at him. He was playing with him. Tyler got to his feet, furious. He hit a lamp off the side table, glass shattering across the floor. Everyone jumped. "I can't find out who it was with just my phone...But I promise you, Tyler. I'll find who did it." Jonathan said. Every word sounded evil to Evan.

Again, Evan took a breath to say something but again he stopped, biting his lip. He was exactly where Jonathan wanted him. He could say nothing for no one would believe him.

"Thank you, Jonathan.' Tyler sighed. "I trust you."


	11. Chapter 11

Evan walked down a dark hallway, moving almost as if in slow motion. He passed a doorway, bright industrial neon light blinding him from what was inside. Turning away from the bright doorway, Evan looked down the dark hallway, seeing movement.

"You're so much fun to play with." Jonathan laughed from somewhere in the dark. Evan closed his eyes tightly, taking a slow step forward. It felt like he was walking through water. When he opened his eyes, Jonathan was standing in front of him, a gun in his hand. "I'm not going to kill you." Jonathan said; a smile on his face. Evan couldn't move. "Unless...You called Brian."

"I didn't!" Evan suddenly screamed. "I didn't do it! I didn't call!" Roses grew from the black cement floor, wrapping around Evan's legs. He staggered backwards, thorns digging into his skin. He cried out as he fell, reaching for Jonathan as if he would save him; as if he really did care about him. "I didn't do it!" He fell into the dark, red petals floating around him.

Evan woke up screaming. "I didn't do it! I didn't!" He was still half asleep, looking around the dark room wildly. "Mom! Mom! Mom!" He screamed like a child, tears and sweat streaming down his face. The door suddenly opened, the hall light flooding the room. Arms were around him, a chin pressed against the top of his head. "Mom! Mom!" Evan kept crying.

"Shh...It's okay. It's just a nightmare." Tyler said softly, gently rocking Evan back and forth. "Shh...Just breathe. Inhale and exhale...It's okay." Evan clung to his arm, closing his eyes tightly. "It's okay. I'm not going anywhere. It's okay, Ev." Evan's sobs were harsh, his shoulders shaking against Tyler. He clung harder to Tyler's arm, unable to stop crying. He cried because of Jonathan's betrayal; because he thought that Jonathan had genuinely cared. He cried for Tyler, who loved his family so much he believed Jonathan's lie. He cried for the others who didn't know what was happening. He cried for Smitty. He cried for his mom. He cried for the broken plastic flowers in a motel room in San Diego. That had only been less than a week ago and it already felt like it had been an eternity.

Eventually, his sobs turned to hiccups and wheezes, exhaustion making his tear stained eyelids feel heavy. He looked up at Tyler who gave him a reassuring smile. Evan took a deep breath, knowing that he had to tell Tyler that Jonathan was a liar.

"T-Tyler." Evan managed to say, his voice breaking.

"Yeah?"

"I have to t-tell you something…" Evan said, tightening his grip on Tyler's arm. He had to say it. Jonathan could get away with something horrible if he didn't. However, he couldn't fight off the nagging anxiety that Tyler wouldn't believe him. No one would believe him. Jonathan knew that. After what had happened because of Evan, no one was going to believe him. No one would pick him over family. "Thank you." Evan finally said, kicking himself for not being brave enough to say what he had to. "Thank you for being here for me."

"Of course." Tyler said. "I am sorry though, for the other day when I was angry. I shouldn't have gotten that angry. You were just as scared as I was if not more and I was just an asshole. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Evan stammered. "I would angry too if I were you." He laughed weakly. Tyler smiled and nodded a little. Evan took another deep breath, telling himself that he had to tell Tyler the truth about Jonathan. He rehearsed the words over and over in his mind. He fell asleep before he could say them.

The city lights from the window dimly illuminated the room. In the distance, the skyscrapers of Los Angeles rose to the night sky. On the bedside table was a vase of gentle pink roses and yellow wildflowers.

Sitting at the kitchen table, Evan blew bubbles through a straw into the ice coffee that Brock had gotten him. When he had woken up that morning, he found that Tyler had fallen asleep beside him, not leaving his side in case he had another nightmare. Now, Evan listened to the others as they quietly talked about Jonathan's 'revelation'. He heard his name a few times and decided to ignore it. Of course, Jonathan would make them think it was him. He leaned back in his chair, watching the bubbles in the plastic cup pop. Jonathan was playing a game with him. He sighed, wanting to just yell the truth when he heard his name again. He couldn't though because it would just be wasted air. He needed proof for them to believe him. They wouldn't just turn on Jonathan over nothing but Evan's story.

"Hey, is it okay if I change your bandages?" Craig asked, startling Evan who looked up at him and nodded. He got up, following Craig across the apartment to the room where he had set up his things, the desk by the bed covered with everything from gauze to pain killers to scalpels. Evan sat down on the bed while Craig gathered up what he needed. He wondered if Craig would believe him. He had listened to him from the very beginning.

"Craig?" Evan looked over his shoulder at Craig as he brought a roll of gauze and a damp cloth over to him.

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about what Jonathan said yesterday? About there being someone who's betrayed us?" Evan asked, looking down at his hand. There were new dried spots of blood on his palm. Craig looked concerned when he saw it but didn't say anything about it.

"It scares me. I can't think of anyone among us who would want to lie, who would want to join Brian." Craig sighed, taking the clip off the gauze and began to unwrap it. The last bit of it clung to the mess of blood on Evan's palm. "Please be more careful. I don't want you to get this infected." Craig sighed. "And it won't heal if you keep making it bleed."

"Do you think I did it?" Evan asked, not acknowledging Craig's scolding about his hand.

"Of course not, Evan. You're a good kid." Craig smiled.

"Do you think it was Jonathan?" Craig's smile wavered and disappeared. He looked down at Evan's hand, busying himself with cleaning the blood off with the cloth.

"Why would you...Why would you ask that?" Craig stammered. Evan took a deep breath, not sure of how he should explain this to Craig.

"It was…" He trailed off, biting his tongue. "It's just...a feeling I have." Evan lied.

"But he's been the kindest I've ever seen him be to you!" Craig laughed. "Jonathan doesn't like just anyone, Evan. Besides, I've known him for a long time. He loves all of us. Jonathan would never betray us."

"I know...I just...I can't explain it." Evan stammered. He hated that he couldn't say it out loud.

"Tyler got arrested once." Craig said, glancing up at Evan whose brow furrowed. "He'd still be in prison if it weren't for Jonathan."

"What?" Evan curled his left hand into a fist. He was right; not even Craig would believe him.

"Yeah. It was about two years ago, I guess now. After he was arrested, Jonathan would stop at nothing till we got him out. He was the mastermind behind the whole plan." Craig laughed. "It seems all Jonathan does is plan. He is two steps ahead of everyone else."

 _The hot desert sun shone down on the blue prison bus as it made its way down the dusty road. Overhead, a helicopter followed the bus, its guns at the ready. Craig leaned against the empty seats as he made his way to Jonathan who sat near the front in an orange jumpsuit._

" _You're sure about this?" Craig asked, pulling at the navy blue collar of his guard uniform. Jonathan nodded._

" _What else are we gonna do? We need Tyler." Jonathan said calmly. "You know where you're going?"_

" _Yeah." Craig said, glancing up at Daithi who was driving, his nervous gaze locked on the road. "I hope he does too." Craig joked to lighten the mood. Jonathan didn't laugh. Craig took a deep breath, sitting down across from Jonathan. Tyler had been arrested a couple of weeks ago, sending them all into a panic. Jonathan quickly took the lead when he realized that no one else was going to and began planning how they were going to get Tyler out. Craig missed Tyler and feared for him which made him eager to get on with it. Craig checked his gun on his left hip then Tyler's handgun on his right, making sure it would be loose enough to grab when the time came._

 _The bus slowed, the cement walls of the prison rising out of the desert. Craig glanced at Jonathan before getting up, walking to the front of the bus. The gates opened._

" _You're okay with going inside?" Daithi asked, looking up at Craig for a quick moment before looking back at the narrow road that lead into the large courtyard._

" _Yeah." Craig nodded._

" _I'm just askin cause you don't normally do this kinda stuff. You just do the aftermath, Craig. Tyler will understand if you don't want to go in." Daithi said, the bus slowly coming to a stop._

" _I'm going in." He said firmly. "Open the doors." Jonathan got up, giving Craig a smile._

" _Don't be afraid to be rough." Jonathan winked._

" _Shut up." Craig gave Jonathan a shove down the bus' stairs, nearly sending him crashing to the dusty, gravel driveway. Jonathan managed to catch himself despite his hands being handcuffed. Craig and Daithi followed Jonathan across the courtyard to the side door where today's prisoner would have been brought in if they hadn't have intervened. They were stopped a few times by guards, checking records with Craig and Daithi before allowing them through._

 _Craig led the way up a set of stairs to the second level of cells, past prisoners who watched them pass with curious and smug expressions. Craig counted the cells, trying to do his best to keep his gaze straight ahead and not look desperately into each one for Tyler. He kept close to the bars glancing over his shoulder at Jonathan who nodded to him, encouraging him to keep walking._

 _Craig turned his head, looking into the next cell. There he was. Craig slowed, but couldn't stop. Realizing this, Tyler got up quickly, running to the bar and grabbed his gun off Craig's belt. The three kept walking, knowing that Tyler wouldn't be far behind. Four gunshots echoed through the large hall. The cell door swung open. Tyler stepped out onto the walkway as yelling erupted from the cells around him. He shot out the locks of a few other doors before he ran down the walkway, catching up to them as Daithi was unlocking Jonathan's handcuffs and giving him his gun._

" _Go! Go!" Jonathan yelled, still taking the lead down the stairs. Craig smiled at Tyler but they had no time for a proper reunion. Running down the metal stairs, the loud metallic noise muffled by the yelling and the freed prisoners, they made their way for the closest exit. A guard yelled at them to stop only to be shot by Jonathan, blood splattering onto the cement wall behind the guard. Another guard stepped out from a room beside Craig, startling him. He turned suddenly, shooting the guard before he could react. Craig jumped at the recoil of the gun and the violent splatter of blood. He hated the way bodies moved when they were dead; it just looked wrong._

 _Jonathan kicked open the side door, running in the hot sunlight. Sweat dripping down his neck and face, Craig tightened his grip on the gun as he followed Jonathan, the sunlight almost blinding him for a moment. When he could focus, he opened fire on the guards that were coming towards them, the loud siren ringing in his ears. The others followed suit, the courtyard echoing with gunshots. Overhead, the helicopter flew low, the hot wind rushing around them. Marcel and Brock gave them cover as the helicopter came into land. As the others got into the helicopter, Craig fired at the guards who in turn shot back, sparks flying off the side of the helicopter._

 _A sudden hot pain exploded from Craig's side, the air knocked from him. He looked down, seeing blood seeping from a wound on the side of his torso. He gasped, pressing his left hand to the wound, raising his gun to shoot one last time in the direction of the guards before Tyler and Marcel pulled him into the helicopter._

" _Lui! Go!" Jonathan yelled. The helicopter raised into the air, sparks flying around them._

" _Fuck, Craig!" Tyler cried when he saw the blood._

" _It's fine...It's fine. Help them give cover so we can get the hell out of here!" Craig cried, gritting his teeth at the pain as he sat back against the seat, his gun dropping to the floor of the helicopter. Figuring that he would be useless to anyone but Craig, Tyler ripped off a large piece of his orange jumpsuit, pressing it against Craig's wound. "I'll be okay." Craig managed to say, giving Tyler a weak smile. "I'm glad you're okay."_

Evan could feel that hot sunlight. He could see himself in that group, the helicopter landing behind him. He could imagine the wind pulling his jacket and the heavy gun in his hands. He could imagine himself pulling the trigger, nothing but adrenaline running through him. But then, he imagined Jonathan and the smile on his face and the heroic image shattered.

"I was able to patch myself up with some help from Tyler but it was traumatic. It was the first time I had been shot!" Craig said, wrapping the fresh gauze around Evan's hand. "Thankfully, I haven't experienced a gunshot since but I would do it again if it meant saving Tyler." He added with a smile. "The point is, Jonathan brought us all together when we were terrified and unsure of what we were going to do and we brought Tyler back. Jonathan would do anything for Tyler. He'd do anything for you too. He's no liar and he's definitely no traitor." Craig held the gauze down while slid the clip in place, making sure the gauze was tight before letting go of Evan's hand. "There you go. You'll be good as new in no time." Evan nodded, looking down the white gauze. He wondered if he had made it all up. He wondered if the shock of everything had got to his head and he was imagining things. He thought about the day he had spent with Jonathan and the story he told him at the aquarium, the blue soft lighting comforting to Evan. Maybe he was wrong. Craig must be right, Jonathan wasn't a traitor. He couldn't be, could he? Brian had said he wouldn't even fully trust Jonathan, but that meant nothing because it was Brian, right?

"Thank you." Evan said quietly, not looking up at Craig.

"You're welcome." Craig gave him a hug before letting go to clean up. Evan got up, walking out in the hallway. Tyler was standing in the living room, talking with Marcel and Lui. Evan's chest tightened. He took a hesitant step towards them. Smitty was sitting on the couch, a nervous expression on his face. Tyler turned when the floorboard creaked under Evan's red shoe.

"Evan. Can you come here?" Tyler motioned for him to come over to them. Evan did as he was told. "Jonathan has informed me that he knows where the liar is...And that he wants me to go meet him. Can you come with me?" Tyler asked. "If not, that's okay."

"Why me? Why not Marcel or Smitty or Lui?" Evan asked.

"Because Jonathan asked for you to come too." Tyler sighed. "I can explain to him that you didn't want to come, he'll understand."

"We won't be far behind." Lui said. "We're going to get my helicopter first and we'll watch from above." Evan looked up at Tyler, fear and anger making it hard to breathe. He wanted to believe Craig, wanted desperately to believe that Jonathan wasn't a liar but he couldn't deny that Jonathan knew the code, that he manipulated him into trusting and caring for him so he would be stupid enough to write it down. Either way, he had to go to be there for Tyler.

"Okay...I'll go." Evan nodded. Tyler nodded, giving him a small smile before turning back to the others to finish their plan. Evan turned, seeing Smitty and Brock looking up at him with worried expressions. Smitty slowly shook his head. Evan curled his shaking hands into fists and hurried to the bedroom he had slept in the night before, finding his jacket. He pulled it on and reached inside for the blade. Though small, it was sharp.

"Evan? Are you ready?" Tyler called down the hallway.

"Yeah!" He called back, tucking the knife into his jacket and hurried back into the living room, catching up with Tyler as he headed for the door.

"Call me when you get to the helicopter." Tyler said to Lui before he headed out the door, Evan following close behind.

"You're sure it's not one of them?" Evan asked Tyler as they got into the elevator. Tyler sighed.

"I know it's one of them...I don't want to believe it but I have to. I trust Jonathan, I always have. I trust Lui and Marcel. I trust Smitty, Brock and Daithi. I trust Craig. I trust you. Which is why this is all so painful. You're all my family but one of you is a liar." Tyler spat out the last word as if it had a foul taste. Evan stared at him.

"I didn't do it." Evan whispered. Tyler turned his head, looking down at Evan. The elevator doors opened onto the parking garage and Tyler stepped out without saying a word.

The Corvette drove slowly down palm tree lined streets, the large mansions sprawling along the hillside. Evan looked out the window at the large homes, wondering if it really was Jonathan they were going to meet. The car turned up the hill, then onto a long driveway, coming to a stop by a flower dotted hedge. Through a half open gate was a swimming pool. The house was massive, bigger than any home Evan had seen in real life. Tyler took off his seat belt, turning the key.

"Stay here." Tyler said sharply.

"But-"

"Stay here." With that, Tyler got out of the car, closing the door behind him. Evan watched him walk towards the gate, looking around before opening it further and stepping into the floral backyard.

At first, all Tyler saw was flowers which surrounded the bright blue swimming pool. He continued towards the house, not seeing Jonathan anywhere. The house looked empty though, the rooms behind the tall windows dark. Tyler stopped at the edge of the pool, looking down at the bright blue water that reflected the brightly coloured flowers around it. His reflection was surrounded by flowers. A warm breeze rustled the flower bushes. Tyler glanced over his shoulder at the gate, seeing the black and white Corvette and Evan watching him. There were footsteps on the pool deck coming from the house. Tyler turned. His bright eyes, almost as blue as the pool water, widened.

"Hey, piggy." The gun was raised.

"What are you-"

The gunshot made Evan jump. He stared out the window, unable to see much of what was happening beyond the gate. He heard a splash. The pool water rippled. Evan couldn't breathe. Tyler had told him to stay in the car but he had to get out. He had to make sure that Tyler was okay. He pulled the blade from his jacket pocket and opened the car door. He nervously stepped out of the car, moving around it slowly towards the gate.

The red flowers looked bloody.

The gate swayed a little in the warm breeze. Evan swallowed, his grip tightening on the small knife. He pulled open the gate, stepping into the large backyard of the expensive mansion. The blade dropped from Evan's gauze wrapped hand. Tears spilt from his eyes.

"No!" Evan ran to the edge of the pool, dropping hard to his knees. Tyler floated in the water, blood turning the water red around his head. "No! Tyler!" Evan screamed, reaching for his body. He splashed at the water, trying to create a current to get him closer. "No! No! No!" His jacket and shirt were soaked, the gauze sticking to his wounded hand which stung painfully from the chlorine. "Tyler!" Evan wailed. A hand grabbed the back of his collar, throwing him harshly down onto the pool deck. Evan sobbed wildly, hitting at Jonathan as he tried to pin him down.

"Evan, come on now. I don't want you to go for a swim too." Jonathan said, a smile on his face.

"Don't!" Evan screamed. "Don't touch me!" A strong kick to Jonathan's chest sent him stumbling back. Evan rolled onto his stomach, crawling towards his fallen knife. A boot came down on Evan's right hand, crushing it. He screamed in pain, looking up at Luke, his face a silhouette in the blinding sunlight.

"What are you going to do, huh?" Luke asked mockingly. Evan screamed again, his shoulders shaking violently with sobs. "What are you going to do now that Tyler is dead?"

"No...No, please...Please!" Evan screamed. Blood soaked through the wet gauze, dripping onto the pool deck. "Please!"

"Oh give him a chance, Luke." Evan turned his head. Brian stood on the patio, his smile as sharp as his suit. "This kid could raise hell for all you know." He laughed. Luke glanced at Jonathan who nodded. Luke stepped off Evan's hand. He let out a choking cry of agony, crawling weakly towards the knife. His bloody hand curled around it as he rolled in time to swing it at Jonathan's face as he descended on him again. Jonathan snarled, smacking the knife from Evan's hand as a red line formed across his cheek. He pinned Evan down, ignoring his screams and violent kicks.

"You know I know the code." Jonathan whispered. "But you're gonna tell it to Brian."

"No!" Evan wailed, reaching towards the fallen blade.

"You don't want me to break your hand like Tyler got his hand broken now, do you? Though, last I checked, you seemed to be obsessed with him. Obsessed with being him." Jonathan laughed. "I saw what you were doing with your right hand." Evan looked up at him, struggling to breathe. He had never been so terrified in his life before.

"Stop! Please!" Evan cried, his face wet with tears and pool water.

"I don't want to kill you Evan….I like you." Jonathan ran a hand through Evan's hair gently, making him cringe. He turned his head, stretching his arm further towards the blade. His fingers brushed against the wet metal. "Look at me." He pulled Evan's hair harshly, forcing him to look at him. "Tell me the code. I want to make sure I got it right."

"No." Evan spat in Jonathan's face. "I made a promise."

"You're so fucking stubborn." Jonathan snarled. "Don't make me throw you in that pool too." Evan looked past Jonathan to Tyler's body, sobs ripping themselves from his throat. It was his fault. He couldn't tell Tyler what he knew and now he was dead. It was his fault. "Tell us the code!" Jonathan yelled. Evan shook his head. Jonathan grit his teeth letting go of his hair to grab his collar, choking him as he pulled him to his feet, swinging him around to the edge of the pool. "Tell me." Again, Evan shook his head. Jonathan looked up at Brian. Evan lifted his right hand, the gauze loose and bloody, the blade glinting in the sunlight. Evan stabbed Jonathan's shoulder, blood oozing around the blade as Jonathan screamed in pain and anger. He shoved Evan into the pool, sending him falling into the bloody water.

Disoriented, Evan couldn't tell which way was up and which was down. He heard a muffled gunshot, a bullet flying past him in the water. His eyes widened, stinging with chlorine. He swam frantically to the other side of the pool, under Tyler's body. He pulled himself out of the water, his clothes feeling heavy and stuck to him. There was no way out but the gate behind Luke.

Evan took a deep breath, sprinting as fast as he could around the pool. Jonathan fired at him again, a pot full of flowers beside him exploding into tiny pieces. He kept running, sliding past Luke before he could grab him. Evan ran out the gate and past the black and white Corvette, past the red flowers, nearly stumbling down the hill as he ran, his lungs burning. Tears streamed uncontrollably down his face, sobs racking his shoulders every time he tried to breathe.

"Run!" Jonathan yelled after him. "Run little piggy, run!"


	12. Chapter 12

"Mom...There's a monster under my bed." The small boy reached for his mother as she got up to turn off the light, his hand reaching out from under super hero blankets towards her. She gave him a reassuring smile, sitting back down beside him.

"You have nothing to worry about, Evan. The monster can't catch you." She said, ruffling his hair gently. "If you think the monster is coming, you can always run as fast as you can to my room. The monster will never, ever be able to catch you."

Evan couldn't stop running. His legs burned, his chest heaved, his eyes stung. He left wet footprints behind him. Cars passed him but no one stopped despite the bloody mess of his stinging right hand. Evan stumbled, tripping over his own feet. He fell face first onto the pavement, gravel digging into his skin. He let out a cry of pain, lying on the hot, sun warmed pavement for a few moments before he struggled to pull himself back up. He had to get back to the others, had to tell them what happened. Jonathan could make it look like he did it. He took a deep breath, wiping the gravel and dirt off his jeans but only ended up smearing blood on the black denim.

"I didn't do it…" Evan whispered. Tall sunflowers growing in a garden in front of the large house he stood in front of swayed in the warm, late morning breeze. He closed his eyes tightly, taking a deep breath before looking over his shoulder. There was no one coming after him, no black Cadillac, no blue BMW, no black and white Corvette. Evan stared down the road that he had just run down, now several blocks away from the house.

He let out a shuddering breath, his eyes welling up with tears that slid down his face. He turned his head, looking at the road in front of him, the large homes on either side seeming to be watching him. He could go home. Maybe he could find enough change to get on a bus and go home. He could go home and pretend that none of this happened. He could forget about everyone, about Tyler. The thought hurt his heart. He couldn't go home. He had to tell Craig and the others what happened. He couldn't leave Tyler's family in the dark. "Fuck." Evan sighed, running a hand through his wet hair. To think that just a week ago, his only stress was graduating.

He started walking down the street, catching his breath. A few more cars drove past him. They probably thought that he had fallen into a friend's pool and was walking home to change. He curled his bloody hand into a fist, hoping to hide it from anyone who might be watching him.

It felt like everything had eyes that were watching him.

He looked over his shoulder before crossing the street to another, quieter street and continued down the hill. His wet jacket felt heavy in the late morning heat. The breeze rustled the hedges and flowers along the metal fences surrounding the houses. The image of the flowers surrounding the bloody pool flashed through Evan's mind and a sob instantly shook his shoulders, the movement reminding him of his bruised ribs. He let out a pained cry, wrapping his arms around himself; blood smearing on his t-shirt. The wet gauze stuck to his hand. A car passed him, making him jump. Hugging himself, he kept walking, his bloody hand hidden under his jacket. A second car passed. Evan told himself to keep walking, he had to get back to the apartment, had to tell them what happened before Jonathan could lie to them again; before he could kill again.

A black car passed. Evan stopped. He turned, looking back over his shoulder. The black Cadillac slowed to a stop in front of him. Evan tensed, ready to run. The driver's door opened, a young man getting out and leaning against the door.

"Hey, kid. You want a ride?" The man asked. Evan shook his head, taking a nervous step backwards. The driver looked back inside the car then turned back to Evan, giving him a shrug. "Believe me, it's better if you say yes." Evan didn't move. "Do you see Jonathan around?" Evan looked around then shook his head. "We got no reason to wanna break your bones right now. Just wanna talk."

"You're Brian's driver." Evan said, wishing his voice was stronger.

"Yeah...My name is Anthony for one thing."

"Please...I'm tired...I want to go home." Evan begged. Anthony shook his head, moving to the back door and opened it, waiting for Evan. Looking back down the road, Evan realised he had no choice.

He was so tired.

He wanted Tyler; wanted him to hug him and tell him it would be okay. The flowers along the side of the road danced in the wind. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the Cadillac. Anthony held the door open for him as he got in before closing it. Evan took another deep, shuddering breath. This car terrified him. It had chased him, had stalked him. Now he was sitting in it, blood dripping from his hand to the expensive tan leather.

"Here." Evan looked down at the crystal glass that was held towards him and the amber alcohol inside it.

"I don't drink." Evan's voice was barely a whisper.

"You look like you need it." Brian said, insisting that Evan take the glass. He reached out with a shaking, bloody hand, taking a hesitant sip of the scotch. It burned his throat. He resisted the urge to spit it back into the cup. The engine rumbled back to life, slowly driving down the hill. "I understand what just happened is extremely traumatic for you but you have to understand that it could have been so much worse." Brian explained. "You could be dead."

"Tyler is dead." Evan breathed, new tears falling down his cheeks. He took a deep shuddering breath, pressing his left hand against his eyes in an attempt to get wipe away the tears; he just smeared them across his face.

"I know he's dead. Jonathan shot him point blank in the face." Brian said casually. Evan's shoulders shook with another sob. "Sorry...Was that too blunt for you?"

"What do you want?" Evan managed to say, his gaze on the glass in his hand.

"I see something in you, Evan. You're dangerous." Brian smiled.

"Dangerous." Evan repeated.

"Yes. You do know what you just did, right?" Brian asked. Evan kept his gaze on the scotch. "You stabbed Jonathan and got away with it. I like you, Evan. I think we could make a great team. Neither of us trusts Jonathan. Sure, he knows the code but I'm so much closer to the actual thing. We had the location but John went and got himself killed when he tried to stop Adam." Brian shook his head. "What a fucking mess that was. That doesn't matter now though. What I'm trying to say is that Tyler babied you. He didn't want you to get involved in this without realising that you're involved now and you always will be. You can never run away from this as much as you want to. I don't see you as a child to be coddled, Evan. With some training, a gun in your hands, you could be unstoppable. Do you know how to drive?"

"Is Jonathan still alive?" Evan asked.

"If you don't know how, that's no problem. Anthony will teach you."

"Is Jonathan still alive?" Evan raised his voice, startling Brian. Evan slowly turned his head, anger rising in his chest.

"Yes." Brian smiled despite Evan's anger.

"Did he kill Tyler for you?" Evan said through gritted teeth.

"He's wanted Tyler dead for awhile, Evan." Brian said, glancing at the glass cup in Evan's bloody hand. "It was going to happen sooner or later. The point is, I don't need nor want Jonathan. I want you. Tyler's so called 'family' is going to fall apart now with him dead and I don't want you to be a part of that. You don't have to tell me the code, but I do want you to use it."

"Use it?"

"Yes. Did Tyler not tell you what the code is for?" Brian's brow furrowed as Evan nodded. "Christ, another example of him babying you."

"Are you going to tell me?" Evan asked.

"Are you going to join me? I can tell you that you'll be rich. Anything you want, I'll give you; the code will give you."

"Isn't that just babying me more?" Evan took another sip, cringing at the harsh taste.

"Maybe a little." Brian smiled. "Admit it, everyone likes to be babied a little."

"Why did Jonathan want Tyler dead?" Evan asked.

"I'm sure there are many reasons, unfortunately, I can't tell you. I myself don't entirely know the whole story." Brian sighed. They had driven back into the city, the large homes giving away to taller apartment buildings and shops. "Why?" Brian was looking out the window, watching his city go by. "Do you want to kill him?" Evan hesitated, thinking about his answer. He did love Jonathan, loved the kindness he had shown him. Loved his bravery, his protectiveness. Yet, he had just killed Tyler, shot him point blank in the face and didn't bat an eye. Jonathan had manipulated him, had lied to him, to all of them. Tyler died not knowing the truth. "Because Jonathan wants to kill you one day." Brian said, startling Evan. Brian pulled his phone out of his pocket and showed Evan what was on the screen. It was the picture Jonathan had taken of him at the art museum, his smiling face illuminated by the white street lamps. Below it was the caption 'Mine. Bounty is taken.' Evan felt sick. He should have known what Jonathan was doing when he took a picture of him. "No one is allowed to touch you except Jonathan it seems."

"And if I join you...You'll protect me from him?" Evan asked quietly. Brian put his phone back into his pocket, sighing.

"Until it becomes better for me not to protect you. As it stands, I want you alive and well. The second you become not wanted, well I can't make any promises." Brian shrugged. "That's just how these things work."

"Craig and the others would protect me…Always." Evan whispered. Brian laughed.

"Didn't they drug you, drag you into a back alley and beat you up?"

"And wasn't it Jonathan who came to my rescue?" Evan cried, his anger and grief bubbling up.

"And wasn't it Jonathan who set that whole thing up in the first place just to come to your rescue?" Brian said after a few moments of silence. Evan looked away from him, tears welling up in his eyes. "I was like you once, naive and scared."

"And then you inherited all your old fucking money and the mafia and now you aren't so naive and scared?" Evan spat.

"When you put it like you're right." Brian laughed. "But yes, I did inherit all my 'old fucking money' and the gang from my uncle. Even with that though, I was unaware of what I could do, what I could get away with." Evan didn't want to know what Brian could get away with. "I learned quickly. Let me teach you, Evan. You can my little brother." Brian smiled.

"Fuck off."

"Do you talk to your mother like that?" Brian laughed. "I guess you haven't recently." Evan curled his bloody hand tightly into a fist. "We've had our differences, Evan-"

"Differences?" Evan found himself laughing; a horrible, pained wheezing sound. "You left me for dead in the desert. You threatened me. You threatened Tyler. You killed Tyler." Evan said through gritted teeth. His laughter turned into a violent sob. "If I could...I'd bash your head in and leave you for the birds in the desert...Nothing grows there. Not even flowers." Brian was still smiling. He almost looked proud of Evan who was shocked by what he had just said.

"What about Jonathan? What would you do to him?" Brian asked. Evan took another sip from the strong drink, his throat feeling like it was burning as he swallowed. Evan flexed his bloody right hand.

"I'd lie to him. Make him feel loved and cared for in a world that's suffocating. Then I'd break his hand and drown him." Evan finally said, his voice oddly calm.

"What a dangerous boy you are." Brian said, leaning back in his seat. "Remind me to never lie to you." He smiled. "You aren't as scared as you think you are. I was scared."

"When?"

 _The recoil of the handgun startled Brian, but it didn't shock him as much as the force and violence of blood, flesh and bone splattering across the room. The men standing around him flinched, the dead man having fallen to the floor by the time they turned their heads. Brian's chest felt tight, his stomach feeling like it had just flipped. His hand holding the gun trembled. He swallowed, glancing at the others in the room before lowering the gun, hoping they wouldn't see his hand shake. They still weren't sure of him as a leader ever since his uncle got himself killed. He was young, known for his misbehaviour and tendencies to throw money around like it was nothing. He prayed they wouldn't know that was the first time he'd shot a gun and killed a man._

" _Say that again." Brian said to the men still standing in front of him. He took a deep breath, wishing his hands would stop shaking._

" _T-The money is gone." One of them said with a shaking voice. "Someone else had got to it first."_

" _Who?"_

" _We don't know yet."_

" _Then fucking find out. I want that fucking money." He turned, slamming the gun down on the desk. He looked up at the window and the sparkling lights of Los Angeles that lay before him. "Now!" He yelled. He listened to them hurry out of the office, closing the door behind them, leaving him alone with the corpse. He reached for the bottle of vodka on the desk, not even pouring it into a glass before taking a swig from it. "Fuck…" He took another deep breath._

 _That wouldn't be his last murder. Alone, Brian would practice with the gun, shooting holes in the cement wall of his basement. After a little while, it began to thrill him. The adrenaline of pulling the trigger and watching the results. Brian began to live for it._

" _You're fucking ruthless." Ryan had said once, a smile on his face. Brian hadn't even given that a response. He knew it already. That comment was on his mind when the black Cadillac tailed the tall man walking down the sidewalk, the orange street lamps washing over him. As he got out of the car, watching his men tackle Tyler and drag him back to the car, his only thought was on how he could be more. Sure, he could just beat him up but Brian wanted a more lasting impression. So he nodded to Ryan, who with a hammer in hand, broke Tyler's hand. Tyler and his 'family' became his guinea pigs, each time he saw them, he would see just how far he would go. He was proving to himself that he was no longer scared. His uncle had always thought he was pathetic and scared._

 _Maybe it was that ruthlessness that attracted Jonathan and Luke, Brian didn't question it when they first approached him. Luke was nervous, Jonathan was determined; he had his own plans. They had met at a club, the lights flashing, music flooding the large room. Jonathan had sat down at the high table beside Brian and explained what he wanted. Brian knew Jonathan didn't tell him everything, but it was enough to convince him that there was nothing wrong with helping him. Besides, it was just another form of ruthlessness, a quiet torture. Jonathan hated that everyone looked up to Tyler, that they felt like they owed him something. Tyler was preying on their thankfulness. To Jonathan, he was disgusting._

" _It's good to do business with you." Brian said, shaking Jonathan's hand. They planned Luke's escape from the gang. Jonathan played the helpless victim as Luke sped off. He would join them later, someone had to remain to keep an eye on Tyler for time being. Brian had Tyler right where he wanted him._

 _Something changed though when Brian saw the kid that Ryan and Luke had kidnapped. They dropped him to the cement floor of that warehouse and Brian could only stare at him, surprised. The kid didn't even look like he was out of high school yet. Could he really hurt this kid? He'd have parents looking for him. Brian curled his hands into fists; he wasn't going to be caught off guard by this kid. Yet he was. Evan knew the code, Brian was certain of it but he refused and refused. He was something new. Most people cracked. Even when Brian gave Ryan and Luke the order to get rid of him, Brian knew he was going to see Evan again. If he refused to give Brian the code, then he would for sure refuse to die._

 _Brian wasn't surprised when he saw Evan get out of the helicopter, a pale look on his face. At least he had made a terrifying impression on him._

 _When Evan answered Jonathan's phone, Brian was surprised. Watching him stab Jonathan and slip through Luke's hands, Brian felt a bit of pride. He was making Evan stronger. He didn't care about Tyler anymore. Just Evan and the code._

Evan stared at Brian with wide eyes, a sense of unease making him wonder if he could survive jumping out of the moving car. He didn't have to imagine himself in this story for he was in it. He had always wondered what Brian was thinking and now he didn't want to know.

"The point is, I admire you for your strength, your stubbornness towards practically everything, and your will to survive. I'll say it again, we'd made a great team." Brian said, meeting Evan's disturbed gaze.

"You thought torturing Tyler was fun...A game." Evan stammered.

"You've been taught to think that there is always a definite good and evil. The systems keeping your mother out of work are evil. The kids who make fun of you are evil. I am evil because of my actions. Tyler was good because he saved you. Craig is good because he healed your wounds. Jonathan is evil because he manipulated you and hurt you. It's not like that at all. Do you know what Tyler did?" Brian asked. Evan shook his head. "He smashed John's head in with his boot and didn't tell Smitty. Once his hand was healed he went after some of my men with his own hammer and broke more than just their hands. Tyler didn't have less blood on his hands than me. I think it might even be more. When you thought Jonathan loved you, you considered him good, and now he's bad because of what he did? He kept you alive when he could have easily tortured that code out of your skull and left you for dead. And that Craig of yours? He let a man bled out once. One of mine. He was still alive, begging for help. And you what Craig did? He spit on him and left. He never hurt Craig, never did anything to him but because Tyler told him that I'm evil and everyone associated with me is evil, he let him bleed to death in a back alley. Not such an angel now is he?" Brian snarled. Evan felt sick. He didn't want to listen to this. He couldn't imagine Craig and Tyler doing such things. "They've told you stories...I know Jonathan told you a story. Do you really believe all of them? Every single story everyone tells you in this fucking world should be taken with a grain of salt. They picked certain stories to tell you so you would hate me. So you wouldn't give me the code. So you would eventually tell them the code."

"Shut up." Evan shook his head, new tears welling up in his eyes. "Shut the hell up."

"I'm sorry to break it to you, but in this business, there is no good or evil. Everyone is a horrible, shitty person who's done horrible things. You should appreciate me for telling you the truth. You can back to Craig and the others and listen to their stories and think of them as daring heroes until they fall apart. Or...You can come with me. I'll be honest with you." Brian smiled. Evan stared at him, his bottom lip wobbling. "I'm not making any deals with you, Evan. You're above that. This is a difficult decision to make, so I've given you a lifeline." The car pulled over and came to a stop. "Across the street is a pay phone. Go call your mom and ask her what you should do." Brian reached into his pocket and handed Evan a handful of coins. "Take as much time as you need." Anthony got out of the car and opened Evan's door for him. He got out, his legs shaking. Behind the black Cadillac was Ryan's black car, him and Luke watching him.

"You don't have to worry about them." Anthony said. "Unless you try to run." Evan nodded, the coins in his left hand quickly becoming slick with sweat. He reached the booth, sliding the coins into the machine and quickly dialled his mom's number. It rang a few times before he heard her pick up.

"Hello?" Evan couldn't say anything. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Mom…" Evan finally said, his voice breaking. "Mom, it's me."

"Oh my god, Evan...Oh my god! Are you okay? Where are you? It's okay! Just tell me where you are!" She cried. Evan knew she was now on the verge of tears too.

"Mom, I can't tell you." Evan sobbed. He took a deep breath. "I-I...I didn't go to school that day I went missing because kids make fun of me and I'm too anxious...And I came across this man by the river and he was dying...Someone shot him. He told me a code….and now I'm involved with some really bad people." Evan told her as much as he could without names. He told her about Tyler though, about how he saved him even though Brian had said he was a horrible person. His right hand was curled into a fist, blood dripping to the gravel at the side of the road. Finally, he did his best to explain what was happening now, how Brian had let Tyler be killed, and the choice he had given him. "Mom, I don't what to do. I'm so scared. I just want to go home. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Her voice was shaking. "You did nothing wrong, sweetie. You never did. You have kept your promise. I don't want you to do anything that will get you hurt."

"But that won't be the right thing to do." Evan stammered. He leaned his head against the plastic of the booth, his face soaked with tears.

"What do you want to do then?" She asked quietly.

"He said that the people who saved me are cruel and horrible, but to me, they aren't. I can't leave them." Evan sobbed. "I want to go back to them." He felt angry now. Looking over his shoulder, he realised that Brian had him trapped. He would be leaving with Brian no matter what he chose.

"Can you run?" His mom asked, surprising Evan.

"I don't know...They might shoot at me if I try." Evan whispered. She took a deep breath, thinking.

"I'm not letting you become a part of this gang, mafia thing, Evan." She managed a weak laugh. Evan smiled a little. "You're sure you can't run?"

"I could try...I did it before." Evan lowered his voice as he glanced over his shoulder at the black Cadillac.

"What about the person who killed Tyler?"

"He's not here. But I'm sure I'll see him again." A part of Evan intended on it.

"Then you have to try. As much as I want you to come home, you should find the people who saved you. They sound like the safest bet." She sounded hesitant. "If you know something valuable, they won't hurt you."

"That's not entirely true." Evan laughed. "We've watched too many movies."

"I know." She sighed. "Are you going to run?" Evan lowered his gaze, looking down at his bloody hand. He could stay and let Brian make him into the 'dangerous boy' that he saw in him. Or he could run and hope that he could find his way back to Craig and the others. He wasn't going to bring this home. He knew that Tyler and the others had done back things; Tyler had even told him that he could be worse than Brian. This shouldn't be such a shock to him. Yet he still looked up to them, they would protect him. With Tyler gone, he couldn't leave them. For Tyler, he wasn't going to let them fall apart. "Evan?"

"Yea...Goodbye, mom."

"Be careful. I love you."

"I love you too, mom." He said quietly and hung up. He stayed there a moment longer, bracing himself. He took a deep breath. He'd need all the air he could get. Slowly he turned, looking back at Anthony. Brian's door opened as he got out. The street was silent. Without saying anything, Evan suddenly broke into a run, sprinting down the street as fast as he could.

"Get him!" Brian screamed. "Ryan! Get him!" Car engines roared. Evan turned into an alley, nearly crashing into the wall before regaining his balance and kept running.


	13. Chapter 13

The neon lights of the city began to glow as night settled in. Streetlamps flickered to life, the old bulbs buzzing. Car headlights lit up the roads; an expensive car with high beams would illuminate the sidewalks and the entrances to back alleys where there was no light, just garbage and potholes. At this hour, just after the sun had set over the mountains, every street looked the same. If one didn't know where they were going, it was easy to get lost. Despite the dark and the threat of getting lost in the cement maze, the streets remained busy with tourists and locals. Restaurants overflowed with music, laughter and delicious smells of dinner. Groups of friends gathered outside of bars, cigarette smoke drifting up towards the sky.

On a street much like all the others, people on the sidewalk stepped to the side, their brows furrowing with worry and confusion as a young boy stumbled past them, his right hand covered in dried blood, and torn gauze. His damp hair was a mess, his clothing still damp with pool water. His dark eyes on the sidewalk in front of him. Evan wasn't quite sure how he did it; how he got away from Brian. He remembered it as a blur; remembered running down the alley and down another street. He remembered looking back and seeing the black Cadillac and Ryan's car speeding after him. He remembered bullets flying past him. He had turned again, making his way down the small street. His lungs were burning, his cracked ribs aching with every breath. As much as he wanted to stop, Evan knew he couldn't; he was dead if he stopped.

Even if Brian didn't kill him, he may as well if he wanted to make him into a mindless killing machine. As he ran, the thought had occurred to him that he should have pulled the knife out of Jonathan's shoulder and kept it. With it, he could have slit Brian's throat and be done with it. The violent thought had caught him off guard; was he already the 'dangerous boy' that Brian wanted him to be?

Evan remembered finding himself on a street with three-story apartment buildings and climbing onto the nearest fire escape. He had climbed to the hot roof and collapsed to the cement, heaving for air. He must have passed out for when he came to, the sky was ablaze with colours as the sun began to set. He was sweating, his hand stinging uncomfortably. He had sat up, peeling back the gauze that was stuck to his palm. The blood was partially dried, but some of it was still like a thick dark goo that made it painful to pull the gauze back. The deep cut and the stitches looked angry, the skin around it red. "Fuck…" Evan had sighed. The image of blood in the clear blue pool water flashed through his mind and a sob instantly ripped through him. He cried till he couldn't breathe, till all he could do was stare at the city in front of him. It was only when he finally convinced himself enough that it was worth it that he got up and managed to climb back down. Then he started walking.

Now, Evan was certain he was lost. Nothing looked familiar. He was aware of people looking at him and his bloody hand. No one was going to say anything to him though, why would they? He looked dangerous. Evan found himself smiling a little at the thought.

"What's so funny, kid?" Evan stopped, turning to look at the group of men that were standing outside the bar he had just passed.

"Nothing." Evan said quietly.

"What happened to your hand?" Another asked.

"Nothing."

"Doesn't like nothing. What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Is that all you can say?" The first snapped, taking a step towards Evan. The street suddenly didn't seem as busy as Evan thought it was. "He asked you a question. What happened to your hand?"

"Nothing."

"Are you mocking me now?" The man snarled. Evan shook his head. He could smell the alcohol on him now that he had gotten so close. He shoved Evan, nearly sending him falling to the sidewalk. He grabbed the collar of his red jacket, dragging him into the alley by the bar. He pinned Evan to the wall, punching him hard in the face. Pain shot through Evan, forcing a cry of shock from him. The man's friends had followed them, cheering on their friend as he hit Evan again, and again. He finally let go of Evan, letting him drop to the pavement. He gasped for air, his head hurting. Blood streamed from his nose and a cut on his cheek from the ring on the man's hand. His vision blurred with tears. He managed to get up only to be punched hard in the stomach; the air pushed from his lungs. He collapsed again. The world spun around him. Rolling onto his stomach, Evan's blurry gaze landed on a metal pipe, the metal rusting and chipping. The man and his friends laughed and spit at him. Without realizing what he was doing, Evan's bloody hand curled around the rusting pipe as he pushed himself back up to his feet and swung with all his strength. Blood flew from the man's mouth as the pipe collided with his head. The man stumbled back, looking at Evan with shock as he swung again, sending him crashing to the pavement. As he went to swing again, the others grabbed Evan, punching him and grabbing at the pipe in his hand. Evan struggled, turning his head to bit into the arm of the man who stood in front of him as he reached for the pipe. Blood filled Evan's mouth as he bit down. The man screamed and pulled back. Evan spat skin and blood onto the pavement, taking the opportunity to run. This time, he didn't leave his weapon.

Keeping his head down, Evan was running again for the third time that day. His head spun, blood dripping down his face. His bloody hand holding the rusty pipe became slick with sweat and blood. A stitch had torn. He took turns at random. He was incredibly lost. He doubted that even in the daylight he would be able to find his way. He feared he'd just look monstrous in the light, bruised, bloody and damp from pool water; looking more like a drowned corpse than a living boy.

Stumbling around a corner, Evan stopped. Across the street was a chainlink fence and beyond it was the cement river bank. He let out a deep sigh. If Craig and the others were looking for him, they would look here; unless they already looked here. A jolt of fear went through Evan at the thought. Would they be looking for him? What if Jonathan already lied to them? They wouldn't be looking for him then...Unless they wanted to kill him.

In a panic, Evan ran across the road to the fence. He tossed the pipe over the fence, followed it. He left blood on the chainlink fence as he climbed it. He dropped painfully to the cement on the other side, falling onto his back and almost rolled down the bank. "Fuck!" Evan cried as he struggled to stop himself from rolling down the side of the bank. He came to a stop just before the small polluted river. His right hand stung painfully as he pushed himself back up, hurrying to get the pipe. He decided to stay down by the river, figuring it was the best place to be. No people, no open streets. He could hide here.

He kept walking beside the river, not sure where he was going. Maybe he'd find a map in the morning, but right now, he just wanted to find a place to lie down. Exhaustion was quickly catching up to him. A helicopter flew overhead. Evan looked up but it was too high to see any details. Lowering his head, he kept walking. No one was looking for him. Jonathan had framed him; why would they believe Evan? He was just some stubborn kid who didn't talk much. Jonathan was family. No one was looking for him.

His legs felt heavy. He could have sworn that he had lost feeling in his right hand. Exhaustion caused him to stumble multiple times. He took a deep, shuddering breath as he struggled to keep walking. He imagined himself walking all night. He imagined he would still be walking when the sun rose over the city. What else could he do? He was lost.

The sound of early morning traffic woke Evan. His body ached as he rolled to sit up, the cement scratching against his skin. He had collapsed under a bridge. His right hand was numb; the dirty gauze hanging limply from his wrist. Staring at it, he felt that it made him look like a zombie; a monster. The torn stitch and the dried blood made him wince. He knew if it wasn't numb, it'd hurt like hell. Pushing himself to his feet, Evan continued following the river. The sky overhead was beginning to lighten, the street lamps starting to flicker out one by one. He walked past a bouquet of flowers wrapped in red paper, the petals wilted and crushed. It must have been thrown away by someone.

Headlights suddenly blinded Evan. He lifted his bloody hands over his eyes. An engine roared. As the car got closer, he scrambled up the cement bank in an attempt to get away. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw a second car following the first. Praying they weren't there for him, he sprinted as fast as he could. The first car came to a screeching halt. Evan reached the fence but climbing it proved useless. He could barely close his right hand around the chain link. He fell back, losing his balance and collided with the pavement, once more rolling down the slope. He came to a stop near the first car, it's bright red paint now visible to Evan. Behind the red Ferrari, was a black and yellow charger.

"Evan!" Marcel's door opened. Evan pushed himself back up, heaving for air. The world spun. He watched Marcel and Daithi get out of the Charger. His gaze turned to the Ferrari as Craig got out, his hands up to show he was unarmed. Smitty also got out but he had a gun.

"I didn't do it!" Evan screamed, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Jonathan said you did." Daithi said sternly. Evan shook his head. He felt sick. He ran a hand through his damp hair, sweat dripping down his neck as tears spilt from his eyes.

"He's a liar!" Evan wailed. He wasn't sure why he was even bothering trying to convince them. It was useless, they wouldn't believe him. "He's been working with Brian for a long time! He manipulated me! He made me write down the code and he stole it! He has it! He shot Tyler!" The image of Tyler's body floating the pool flashed through his mind, bringing on new sobs. "I saw it happen! I didn't kill Tyler!" The world was starting to spin around him. He couldn't stop thinking about Tyler's bloody body and Jonathan pinning him down, wanting him to tell him something that he already knew and the picture Jonathan had taken of him, claiming him. "I didn't kill Tyler!" Evan stumbled forward, reaching his bloody hand towards Craig in desperation. "I saw him do it...I saw it happen." The world was spinning faster. Evan could hardly breathe. Everything hurt. He took another step and his legs gave out from under him. He collapsed to the cement, the world going dark before he felt the impact.

The red flowers around the pool danced in the strong wind. The sky was dark. Evan's gaze was on the bright blue water that rippled. A shadow moved behind him.

"You did this." Evan whispered. "I'll kill you." He turned to face Jonathan and the gun in his hand. Jonathan pulled the trigger. Evan staggered back, a look of shock spreading across his face. Jonathan pulled the trigger again, the gunshots echoing through the backyard. Shells fell to the pool deck. Evan fell into the pool, blood turning the water as red as his jacket. Arms wrapped around Evan, pulling him underwater.

"Take care of them for me." Tyler whispered.

Late afternoon light shone through the curtains. The window was open, letting in the breeze and the sounds of Los Angeles. On the bedside table was a small vase of yellow buttercups. Evan's dark eyes flickered open, his gaze on the white ceiling above him. He turned his head slowly, looking at the yellow flowers. Then his gaze moved to the pig mask on the dresser across the room; Tyler had left it behind. Tears welled up in his eyes. He forced the painful thought from his mind and sat up, wincing when he put pressure on his right hand. It had been cleaned and wrapped tightly in fresh gauze. Someone had changed him out of his dirty, wet clothes into warm, dry pyjamas. His red jacket and new clean clothes were folded neatly beside the mask.

Taking a breath, he sat up slowly. Every movement reminded him of the ache in his muscles.

"C-Craig?" Evan called out weakly. There was no answer. He pushed himself out of bed, throwing the heavy blanket off. He winced as he stood up, the ache almost overwhelming. He made his way over to his jacket, doing his best not to look at the pig mask. Beside the jacket was a neat pile of a folded towel, a wash cloth and an unopened bar of soap. Stuck to the soap was a bright yellow sticky note that said 'have a bath when you wake up; you'll feel better" in Craig's writing. Glancing at the door, Evan picked up the towels and soap and headed towards the door. The apartment was silent save for the faint sound of music coming down the hallway. He stepped into the bathroom and quietly closed the door, turning on the bright white light.

When the bath was full of hot water, he slowly sank into the water; his pyjamas in a pile on the floor. His skin began to turn red from the heat. His right hand wrapped in gauze hung limply over the side of the tub. He ran his left hand over the cut on his cheek and the bump on his cracked nose. The blood had been washed off his face. He dropped his left hand into the water, sinking deeper. Closing his eyes, he remembered falling and the bloody pool water splashing around him. He remembered struggling to turn and find his way out of the water. He remembered Tyler's body, the way his blonde hair had floated in the water and the hole in his skull. He remembered Jonathan's scream when the blade had sank into his shoulder and the blood.

He let out a shuddering breath.

Opening his eyes, Evan lifted his right hand, looking at the white gauze wrapped tightly around it. If Jonathan wanted to kill him, to break Tyler's family apart, then Evan would have to do something about it. He would kill Jonathan.

"Where is Jonathan?" Everyone's head turned to look at Evan who stood in the entrance to the living room. He wore the clothes that had been left out for him, his right hand curled around the red jacket.

"Not here." Smitty finally answered. "None of us have seen him since yesterday...Before Tyler…"

"I didn't do it." Evan said, making his voice as strong as possible. "Jonathan did it."

"Why?" Daithi demanded. "Why would Jonathan kill Tyler? He didn't hate him." Evan looked down, his left-hand curling into a fist.

"He never did, at least what we saw of him." Brock added.

"He was kind to you, Evan." Marcel pointed out. Jonathan didn't even have to be in the room; he had Evan trapped. Nothing he could say would make them believe him.

"Tell us what happened, Evan." Craig said. The others glanced at him, looking shocked and confused.

"Jonathan told us what happened. This kid's dangerous, Craig!" Daithi snapped. "You didn't listen to me when I said that we should have just left him!"

"I want Evan to tell us what happened." Craig demanded, his voice rising with anger. Evan stared at Craig with wide eyes. "That's why we went looking for him, Daithi! You want to know the truth too!"

"I do know it! He stabbed Jon! He shot-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Craig suddenly got to his feet, lunging at Daithi.

"Hey knock it off!" Smitty managed to get between them, shoving Craig back. "Daithi, just fucking listen to Evan! Craig, cool it. We all loved Tyler." Craig muttered something before sitting back down. "Just tell us what you can remember. We aren't going to do anything till we've heard your side of the story. Tyler would do that."

"It was this mansion up on the hill...I think it was Brian's." Evan finally said after a few moments of silence. "Tyler told me to wait in the car so I did. Then I heard a gunshot." His chest tightened, his voice broke. Grief crashed over him. He wanted Tyler back. He wanted him to be there, to tell them all that Evan was telling the truth. "I-I got out of the car...and went into the backyard of this house where Tyler had gone...There was a pool and so many flowers...Tyler's body was in the pool. Then Jonathan attacked me. He-He manipulated me before...He got me to trust him enough to write down the code."

"You what?" Craig cried.

"I didn't give it to anyone. He made it seem like I would feel better if I got whatever was upsetting me off my mind by writing it down! I put it in my jacket pocket and then it was gone!" Evan took a deep breath, tears falling down his face as he looked down at the floor. "I was in the office the day that we were shot at. I know Jonathan knows the code because it's his phone passcode. He left it in the office...and Brian called it."

"Did you answer it?" Marcel demanded. Evan nodded weakly. "Did you make a deal with him?"

"No."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Craig sighed. Evan parted his lips, wanting to tell them that he thought they wouldn't believe him but Marcel spoke up first.

"How can we believe you?" Marcel snarled. "You're still alive and Tyler's dead and the code hasn't been used. So how the fuck are we supposed to believe you? All of that makes it seem like you made a deal with Brian!"

"I didn't make a deal because I made a promise to Adam!" Evan suddenly cried. "Only Jonathan knows the code because he doesn't care about me or anyone else! He breaks his promises. He shot Tyler in the face. He and Luke, they tormented me...Jonathan wanted me to tell him and Brian the code...He wanted to make sure he got the numbers right. I refused...And Jonathan would have tortured me if I didn't stab him. I'm sorry, I took a knife from the office. I'm so scared of Jonathan." Evan fought back sobs. He glanced at Lui who sat on the couch, his empty gaze on the window across the room. Why wasn't he saying anything?

"It would explain Jonathan only wanting Tyler and Evan to go…" Brock suggested.

"Unless Evan is in on it too." Daithi crossed his arms.

"I'm not!" Evan cried. "I'm not! Please!"

"How did you get away?" Smitty asked. Evan took a breath.

"I ran."

"You ran away? No one shot at you?" Marcel's brow furrowed in disbelief.

"Brian caught up to me. He was there when Jonathan shot Tyler. He didn't want them to shoot at me...He simply asked me if I wanted to join him...And I said no." Evan said quietly. That wasn't entirely true, he hadn't said anything to Brian; just ran away. He almost felt ashamed. At the time, he hadn't wanted to listen to it, but now Brian's words wouldn't leave his mind just like the code wouldn't.

"He just asked you? Nothing else?" Craig asked with disbelief. Evan nodded.

"What else did he say?" Daithi asked.

"He said that he…" Shame turned Evan's face red. "That he likes me and wants me to work with him...He said that he would give me anything I wanted." He couldn't bring himself to ask if the other things that Brian had said, about Tyler and Craig, were true.

"Jesus…" Craig ran a hand through his hair.

"He also said that Jonathan wants to kill me." Evan added weakly. Lui looked up at him.

"Jonathan said you wanted to kill him." Marcel pointed out.

"Because he killed Tyler!" Evan yelled, making the others jump. "I didn't kill Tyler! I don't even know how to shoot a gun! I loved Tyler! Jonathan didn't! He lied! He lied to all of you! Why won't you believe me?" Sobs violently shook his shoulders.

"Because Jonathan said the exact same thing!" Daithi cried.

"Because we don't know you, Evan." Craig sighed, ignoring Daithi. "I want to believe you, I really do. But Jonathan is family...He's been there for us." Evan looked down, unable to stop the sobs. Not even Craig would believe him. "If you can prove to us that you're telling the truth...Jonathan only told us what happened too."

"How?" Evan whispered.

"He called me." Craig said. Evan felt sick. They were taking Jonathan's word, not even a face to face conversation, over his even though they had found him terrified and out of his mind with exhaustion and grief wandering along the river, clearly having experienced something traumatic.

"Can you prove it Evan?" Marcel asked. Evan glanced around the room, his gaze landing on Lui who was staring back at him, a strange expression on his face. "Cause if you can't…"

"I know this is hard, Evan but please. You have to try. I know you're a good kid." Craig tried to force a gentle smile but it disappeared.

"We should just have left him where we found him. He's been more trouble than good since Tyler dug him up out of the desert. Tyler's dead because of him now." Daithi cried.

"It's not entirely his fault." Smitty pointed out. "It was Tyler's choice to go alone with the kid." Lui got up, reaching for his phone on the table. Evan watched him.

"We don't know for sure if it was Evan who did it." Craig snapped.

"Do you think he did it, Craig?" Daithi demanded. Craig was silent, staring at Daithi.

"Evan." Lui suddenly spoke up; catching the other's attention. Lui's hand held his phone tightly. "Did Jonathan take a picture of you?" Evan's breath caught in his throat. He nodded.

"What?" Craig looked confused.

"That means nothing. Jonathan takes a lot of pictures of us." Marcel said. Lui shook his head and turned his phone to show them the picture that Jonathan had taken of Evan at the museum and the caption underneath. It was in a group chat of some kind, the names only symbols. Evan hadn't noticed that before when Brian showed it to him. Who else had his picture? "What the fuck?"

"What is this, Lui?" Daithi demanded. Smitty looked at it only for a few moments before looking away, a pale look on his face.

"You all know what me and Jonathan, even Smitty, did before we joined Tyler...This was how we collected our money. We take a picture once the job is done, post it and then got an e transfer or location of where to get the money from whoever was paying." Lui explained. "Here's your fucking proof. The kid isn't lying."

"That could just be because he killed Tyler!" Daithi sounded desperate.

"It's for the bounty Brian set on him!" Lui shot back.

"Did you know all along? How long has that picture been up? Can you take it down?" Craig was full of questions, suddenly getting to his feet. He took a step towards Evan then stopped, looking back at Lui who shook his head.

"I didn't know. I haven't checked this chat since I started working with Tyler. Jonathan and I promised we wouldn't look at this chat anymore, and he obviously lied. This is the first time I've looked at it...only because Evan said that Jon wants to kill him." Lui took a deep breath, his eyes watering. "I don't know how long this has been up...Probably since the day Tyler told Jonathan to keep an eye on Evan if I had to guess. And no, I can't take it down." Lui tossed his phone down onto the table, Evan's smiling face in the picture staring up at the ceiling.

"Evan's not dead though. Has he gotten the money for the code then?" Smitty asked as he sat down in one of the armchairs. Lui shook his head. "Then why did he post it?"

"It was Brian who put the bounty on Evan...He wanted him alive or alive enough to give him the code. But Brian doesn't have Evan obviously." Evan leaned against the wall, his eyes on the phone. He didn't care that they were talking about him like he wasn't in the room. All he could think about was finding Jonathan. His left hand gripped his right, putting pressure on the top of his hand. "But, apparently Jonathan has the code...He didn't tell Brian the code, did he?" Lui asked Evan who shook his head. "So he's just keeping it. And he's claimed the money on Evan's head without actually taking him to Brian or killing him yet." He noticed the confused expressions on everyone's face. "That means that no one is allowed touch Evan. Only Jonathan is allowed to kill him."

"Disturbing." Marcel said quietly, glancing at Evan who didn't meet his gaze.

"Very...Brian won't pay him...He doesn't have Evan." Lui took a deep breath, glancing up at the others. "Jonathan must have another way of getting the money." Evan didn't say anything, but the code's numbers spun through his mind. What if Jonathan was going use the code somehow?

"What's it for?" Evan suddenly asked, surprising the others and himself. "What is the code for?"


	14. Chapter 14

"What is the code for?" Evan repeated when no one said anything.

"No one told you?" Smitty asked. Evan nodded. Everyone looked away as if none of them wanted to be the one to have to tell Evan.

"What the code is for isn't really that important. It's just knowing the code that makes people want to kill you." Daithi said bluntly.

"You think I don't know that?" Evan spat. His frustration with their delay was making him angry. No one had bothered to say anything because they all thought someone else told him. All this time, Evan had no idea why Adam gave him the code in the first place, why he felt like no one could be fully trusted.

"It's for a vault." Smitty finally said. "It's where people who have large sums of stolen money keep said money until they do something with it. Of course, no one knows where this vault is. I imagine that John found out." Smitty sighed. Smitty's story came back to Evan, realization dawning on him.

"It's not the actual money inside the vault that matters, it's owning the vault and the code." Marcel explained. "You're like walking gold to Brian."

"And you probably were to Tyler too." Lui added.

"Owning the vault makes you king of L.A." Brock smiled. "Everybody owes you. It makes you untouchable. That's why Tyler wanted it so badly. We wouldn't be in the line of fire anymore."

"Couldn't you just kill the people who own it right now?" Evan was confused.

"Well...They are dead. It's just sitting somewhere in Los Angeles." Craig sighed.

"I thought you said that it makes you untouchable?"

"In theory."

"The point is, Tyler wanted it so we'd be in charge. We'd knock Brian down." Marcel said. The thought had occurred to Evan that they would just be replacing him. "Brian was so fucking close to the vault. He had Adam and then John got the location from the job Smitty and Tyler tried to do. But then Adam escaped and gave the code to you. I don't know if they still have the location." Evan shook his head. Unless John gave it to someone else, he took it to his grave.

"You were the closest that Tyler ever got to the vault." Craig said quietly. The room fell silent.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Jonathan has the code and Brian probably has the location...There's no fucking point." Daithi stormed out of the room.

"We can keep doing the small jobs!" Craig called after him.

"Fuck that! Tyler promised us better!" Marcel snapped.

"We are better!"

"No, we're not. You should go back to fucking college."

"And you are gonna go back to nothing?" Craig shot back.

"No! I'm going to find the vault!"

"How? By stabbing us in the back too?" Smitty yelled.

"Brian's always been successful…" Brock's voice was barely a whisper.

"Stop! Don't say that!" Craig cried. "Please!"

"Brock's right. What have we been compared to Brian? Now Tyler is gone! What the fuck are we supposed to do?" Marcel cried.

"You're just saying that cause you got nothing to go back to." Smitty sneered.

"So do you! John fucking left you! Stole your car even!" Marcel cried.

"Fuck you!"

"Was that too fucking blunt for you? Tyler's dead! Brian and Jonathan have got it made! It's obvious who the loser is!" Marcel snarled. "What do we have? Some kid who says he knows the code! What if he's been lying this whole damn time? And if he does, what if it's not even the right code?"

"Then that would mean that Jonathan is wrong too." Evan spoke up, startling the others.

"We shouldn't be talking like this! We're better than this!" Craig cried. He sounded desperate.

"You keep saying that…" Marcel grit his teeth. "Are we? Are we really?" Evan's gaze was on a vase of roses on the table.

"Tyler-"

"Enough about Tyler!" Marcel cried. "Fucks sake, he's dead, Craig! What can he do now for us? Contact us from the fucking grave? Get your ouija board! Tyler's got a plan!" Craig got up suddenly and left the room. A few moments later, his bedroom door slammed and locked. Evan flinched at the sound.

"That's a bit much, Marcel." Brock sighed.

"Shut up. You know I'm right. We can't rely on Tyler anymore." Marcel snapped.

"You should have just said that." Brock's voice was sharper than Evan had ever heard.

"He still would have reacted the same! Craig's so fucking obsessed with Tyler." Marcel muttered. Evan glanced down the hallway in the direction that Craig had gone.

"I kinda agree with Craig. You can either just join Brian if you want to go after the vault or we can keep doing what we've always done, or just leave." Smitty sighed. "Brian's gonna pick us off one by one; either killing us or making us join if we don't do anything."

"What about Jonathan?" Brock asked.

"What about him?" Smitty turned his head, looking back at Marcel.

"Brian doesn't even trust him." Evan said as he met Marcel's gaze. "If Jonathan lied to you for years, you have to think about what else he'll do." The gunshot and the bloody pool flashed through Evan's mind, making him close his eyes to stop the tears.

"What, you think you know him know?" Marcel spat.

"No!" Evan cried, frustration bubbling up inside him. "I just know what he did." Smitty shook his head, getting up to leave the room. "Please. You can't leave. None of you can. You have to work together if you want to survive."

Marcel just shook his head and left the living room.

Evan couldn't sleep. He lay on what had once been Tyler's bed in this second hideout, staring up at the ceiling. He could hear Craig crying in the other room and someone was drunkenly rambling in the living room, their voice too slurred and quiet to make out the words. He wondered why he was still here. Why did he come back to them when there was nothing but misery here? He could go home, he had a feeling that they would let him go.

Evan's chest felt heavy. He couldn't stop thinking about Tyler and that bloody pool. He wondered if Tyler knew that morning; wondered if there was a creeping feeling making its way down his neck, telling him not to go. He wondered if Tyler had woken up that morning and thought about staying in bed instead. He wondered if Tyler had known that he was going to die and ignored it. He didn't blame Tyler if he did.

Jonathan's snarling face and his hands gripping his collar before shoving him back made Evan wince, another memory that he'd tried so hard not to think about pushing its way to the surface. He remembered the hot pavement of the school's parking lot and the flowers growing in the school's community garden.

Rolling onto his side, Evan forced the memory away. He wasn't going to think about that. The code replaced the flowers. Knowing what it was for didn't make it feel any better.

"Four, one, eight, two, five." Evan whispered. He imagined himself pressing those buttons on a keypad just like in a movie and a great bit vault door opening. Was that really what Tyler wanted? Was he really that greedy? Evan felt disappointed. Everything he went through was all for a vault. It didn't matter what owning it meant, he still felt used and cheap. "So cliche." He muttered. Brian was right; they were all horrible, shitty people. He felt himself getting angry at Craig who hadn't stopped crying. He probably thought he was above it all but he was rock bottom like everyone else. Evan's right hand curled into a fist. Tyler was above them. Tyler knew he was a horrible person, but he tried. Evan closed his eyes. Tyler was better. He should be more like Tyler.

"Hey...Hey, are you awake?" A hand shook Evan from a heavy, dreamless sleep. He rolled onto his back, seeing Marcel standing over him. It was still too early for even the sun out. Evan rubbed his eyes then looked up at Marcel with confusion. "Wanna go for a drive?"

"What time is it?"

"Does it matter?" Marcel asked. Evan shook his head. "You wanna come?"

"Yeah, sure." Evan muttered and got up, pushing the heavy comforter off. Marcel left the room to let Evan get dressed. He grabbed his jacket off the doorknob where he had hung it and slipped on his shoes, not bothering to tie them. Evan couldn't hear Craig crying anymore as he walked past his room. He imagined that he had cried himself to sleep a little while ago. Brock and Daithi slept on the couches and Lui dozed on an air mattress in the centre of the room. Smitty stood by the front door, holding a black duffel bag. When he saw Evan, he opened the front door, stepping into the hallway. Marcel followed. Evan felt that he had no choice but to do the same, closing the apartment door beside him. "Where are we going?" Evan asked quietly.

"For a drive." Marcel sounded tired. "Don't look at me like that. I'm not going to kill you." He gave Evan a small smile as the elevator opened. Evan followed them inside. This elevator had mirror walls. Evan stared at his reflection between Marcel and Smitty. He looked just as tired as them. He looked like he belonged with them.

"Can you remind me to complain to the building manager? Slow ass doors." Marcel said as the doors slowly creaked open. Marcel lead the way into the parking garage. Evan stared at the empty spot where the black and white Corvette should be. He hated to think about what might have happened to it.

The black and yellow Charger's lights blinked as it unlocked. Smitty held the seat forward for Evan to climb into the back. The engine rumbled to life. Putting his seatbelt on, Evan leaned back, his gaze still on the empty spot through the window as the car pulled out of its parking spot and headed for the door.

The waking city passed in a blur. Marcel didn't drive as fast as Tyler did, but fast enough to weave past other cars on the highway. The farther they went, the more the city disappeared, giving way to desert. As the sun was reaching it way over the horizon, Marcel turned off the highway, driving down a dusty road into the desert. When the car stopped, dust flew around the car like a cloud of smoke. Once Smitty had pulled the seat back, Evan climbed out, staring around the quiet open desert. He watched Smitty walk out in the desert to a rock, placing three empty pop cans on top of it before walking back to them, reaching into his jacket for a handgun. Evan jumped when he fired it three times, the three neon coloured pop cans flying off the rock. Smitty lowered the gun and walked back out to the cans, setting them back up. When he came back, he held the gun out to Evan.

"Your turn."

"I-I...What?" Evan stammered, shaking his head. "I can't shoot a gun."

"That's why we're out here." Marcel said, surprising him. "We're going to teach you."

"Why?" Evan cried.

"You gotta be able to defend yourself. To do the hard thing." Marcel sighed. Evan stared at him, wide-eyed. "If it's true... if you saw Tyler die and Jonathan wants to kill you and you got the code in your head, we can't help you if you can't help yourself." Evan turned his gaze back to the gun. "Just start with holding it." Evan nodded, reaching for the gun. It was heavy, but he knew it would be. Smitty moved away, standing beside him.

"When you shot, it will recoil so don't be too tense." Smitty said quietly. Evan stared at the cans. The gunshot followed by the splash of Tyler's body falling into the pool flashed through his mind.

"I can't," Evan said, shaking his head. "I can't do this." He turned to give Smitty the gun but he shook his head, gripping his shoulders to spin him back around.

"Yes, you can. What if Jonathan does come for you? You can't keep running away forever." Smitty said, his tone serious. Evan took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I just keep thinking about Jonathan shooting Tyler...I-I can't...I can't shoot someone." Evan said shakily.

"You aren't shooting anyone. Just some pop cans."

"Did you ever go shooting with your dad?" Marcel asked. "It's just cans."

"My dad died when I was five." Evan whispered. Marcel glanced up at Smitty. Evan didn't have to see their faces to know what their expressions were.

"You're an angry kid, Evan." Smitty said after a few moments. "I don't mean that in a mean way, I'm just saying it how it is. I know you're angry. I can see it when you look at me and everyone else. You're fucking pissed. You don't have to let that keep you back. Don't be scared of your anger. When you aren't really scared, you're dangerous." Even tensed at the word. Dangerous boy, Brian had said. His grip tightened on the gun. He pulled the trigger.

The can on the left wobbled but didn't fall. "There you go." Smitty smiled. "Again." Evan did as he was told. The recoil and the noise made him jump, his eyes closing. When he opened them, the can on the right was wobbling. Smitty didn't have to say anything for Evan to try again. The can on the right suddenly flew off the rock, the metal crumpled.

"You'll get better with practice." Smitty smiled. Evan smiled too.

Evan hadn't realised how hungry he was until Smitty handed him the bagel wrapped in greasy paper. They stood at the back of the corner store, the white neon of its ceiling lights harsh this early in the morning. The shelves in the centre of the store were filled with snacks, canned food and any other small thing someone might need. The fridges lining the far wall hummed. He had gone into the store to get breakfast with Smitty while Marcel waited in the car. Evan could see him through the store's window, a distant look on his face. No one knew what to do. Evan was stuck in the middle of it as if waiting for his trial. He wasn't even sure if they believed him about Jonathan.

"Do you want anything else?" Smitty asked, snapping Evan out of his thoughts. Evan glanced up at him, shrugging. "Go look for something." Smitty smiled. Evan nodded, walking away from the counter to wander through the aisles just as he had just over a week ago in the store close to home. He glanced at the bright neon cans and bottles in the fridges, then turned into the next aisle. The shelves were lined with candy and chocolate bars. He stopped, looking at the brightly coloured wrappers of the chocolate bars. He remembered Adam's smile when he offered him a chocolate bar.

His mind went to Craig who he imagined curled up on his bed, crying himself to sleep only to wake up to the misery and the ache of grief. Evan picked a chocolate bar and hurried back to Smitty.

Evan stood outside Craig's door, fidgeting with the chocolate bar in his head. He had been standing there for five minutes now, deciding if he should knock or not. After they returned back to the apartment, no one had said anything to Evan save for Smitty. He heard Marcel talking with Daithi, both struggling with deciding if they should leave or not. Everyone seemed lost. Tyler had left a torn hole in the family. Lui was gone; Brock had said he'd gone for a walk. A part of Evan doubted that he'd come back. Evan wasn't sure what Craig was thinking, about him, about all of this.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

"What is it?" Craig's broken voice called out a few moments later.

"It's me." Evan called out. He heard footsteps on the bedroom floor and the door opened. Craig's eyes were red and puffy. He wore pyjamas and looked like all he wanted was to sleep.

"Are you okay?" Craig asked, trying to keep his voice steady. Evan nodded. "Is something wrong?" He shook his head. "Then what is it?" Evan held the chocolate bar out to him. Craig's brow furrowed.

"It's for you. You should eat." Evan said quietly. He managed a nervous smile. Craig smiled sadly and stepped back from the door, letting Evan in. They sat down on the bed while Craig opened the wrapper and broke the chocolate bar in half, giving Evan one of the halves. "Thank you."

"Thank you, Evan." Craig said, taking a bite of the chocolate. "Are you doing okay?" Evan shook his head. He wasn't going to lie to Craig. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm so sorry. You're just a kid. Just a kid." He shook his head. "It's too much." Evan took a bite of the chocolate, his eyes on the floor. "Tyler shouldn't have taken you alone. He should have waited, should have been smarter-"

"No. He thought he was doing the right thing for all of us." Evan said, looking up at Craig. "I'm not mad at Tyler. He deserved none of this. Tyler just got stuck...He got stuck."

"Stuck?" Evan bit the inside of his lip. He hadn't meant to say that but after Tyler's death, everything kept bubbling up that he had pushed down. Tears welled up in his eyes. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." Evan shook his head. "Nothing."

 _The hot pavement scraped up Evan's chin as he fell. He let out a cry of shock and pain, feeling blood drip down his neck as he managed to get up. The boys standing around him laughed and kicked him back down. Evan knew better than to have walked this way, he knew who always hung out on this side of the parking lot after school._

 _He had been lost in thought and it wasn't until he was stuck that he realised it was too late to get out._

 _They had surrounded him, taunting him and shoving him before finally tripping him. They never told him why they bullied him, only that they thought it was funny to watch him fall._

 _Pushing himself back up, Evan could do nothing when one of them grabbed his backpack, spinning him around to make him dizzy only to fall again. His palms were scraped and bloody. His jeans were ripped at the knees. Looking up, his dark, teary eyes landed on the flower garden at the side of the school. It was their community garden, everyone was supposed to do something for it but most of the time, it was just the younger kids that did the work._

 _The boys laughed as Evan got up, his heavy backpack weighing him down. Their laughter and words seemed to morph into one horrible, terrifying sound as they shoved him down again. This time, they walked away, leaving him on the hot pavement. He waited until they were gone before getting up. He hurried past their cars, towards the garden. He ducked around the corner, taking a deep breath. His chin and hands were bleeding and he was certain his knees were too but he'd worry about that later. He should have enough time before his mom got home to clean up._

 _He made his way into the garden, walking down the small dirt paths. A kid had forgotten a couple of brightly coloured gardening tools from the last time working there. He sat down by the tall sunflowers, their bright yellow petals reaching for the sky. He took another deep breath, closing his eyes. Surrounded by the flowers, he felt safe; no one could find him here. Among the brightly coloured petals, he was safe._


	15. Chapter 15

The afternoon sun shone down on the balcony. There no flowers on this balcony for it got too hot during the day for anything to survive. Evan sat on the patio couch, his dark eyes on the city in front of him. Music from an apartment blew drifted up on the wind towards him. Somewhere, tyres screeched and there was a car horn. Somewhere in this city, was Jonathan. Evan imagined that he didn't regret what he had done. He imagined that Jonathan's shoulder ached with every movement, a reminder of the struggling, angry boy that he had held by the collar over a bloody pool and the flash of a silly, but sharp green and purple blade held tight in a gauze covered hand. He imagined Jonathan sitting in the dark, staring at Evan's picture and thinking about what he would do to him. Evan's right hand curled into a fist. He'd rather die at someone else's hands than Jonathan.

"I am human…" Jonathan had said that day at the aquarium. Evan remembered looking up at him with admiration and promising to always to see him as a human despite the things he had done. He remembered how Jonathan had smiled at him.

"Fuck you." Evan whispered at the memory; at Jonathan. "Fuck you." He was a liar, a manipulator. He made Evan feel like he cared about him. The thought had occurred to him that maybe Tyler wasn't much different; he hadn't lied to Evan but he also didn't tell him the truth. Despite that, Tyler was Evan's hero, he had saved him, had shown him a life of adventure and family, had genuinely cared about him. 'Tyler's nothing like Jonathan', Evan had told himself over and over again. He repeated it as much as he had repeated the code in his mind.

"If you keep sitting out here in the sun, your hair is gonna lighten up." Brock said with a smile, the sound of the sliding door opening startling Evan. "It's not too hot out here for you?"

"I'm fine." Evan said quietly, looking back out over the rail. In the distance, he could see the rising skyscrapers of downtown L.A. A helicopter flew towards the towers.

"Do you want to be left alone?" Brock asked. Evan sighed and shrugged. He didn't want to tell Brock to his face to leave him alone. "Do you need anything?" Another question. He shook his head. "Do you want to call your mom?" Evan turned at that, looking up at Brock with wide eyes. "She should know that you're okay." He reached into his pocket, handing Evan his phone.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Just give it back when you're done." Evan nodded.

"Thank you."

His mom had cried. It had shaken Evan to hear her cry. She was so happy he was okay. Of course, she had wanted to know everything, but Evan couldn't bring himself to talk about it. She asked if the men he was with were holding him hostage; Evan had said no. If anyone was holding him hostage, it was Jonathan. He couldn't go home knowing that he was out there with his picture. Before hanging up, he promised to call again. He had no idea when that would be.

The clock on the bedside table read one thirty am in red numbers. Evan couldn't sleep but he was getting used to not sleeping. Staring at the window and the city beyond the glass, he imagined Jonathan staring back at him from one of those buildings. He knew about this hideout, knew they were still there. So why hadn't he come yet? Why was he making them wait? The possible answers to those questions kept Evan awake.

Laying there, his head against the soft pillow, he remembered laying his head in Jonathan's lap, feeling him gently run his fingers through his hair. Evan's eyes closed, remembering how relaxed and safe he had felt. He had no idea what was going to happen that night, the next day or the day after that. All he had known was that he was safe and it felt like he had a family. A part of him still loved that Jonathan from those few days. Another part of him wanted him dead.

He imagined the fingers that had gently threaded through his hair, pulling.

Evan dreamed of rose petals. He dreamed of Tyler's black and white Corvette. He sat in the passenger seat, his gaze on the blurry world. He stuck his hand out the window and caught a petal.

"Where are we going?" Evan asked, slowly turning his head to look at Tyler.

"Nowhere." A bloody pig's head stared back him. There was a bloody bullet hole in its forehead. The pig's eyes were black and glassy. Its snout was dirty and speckled with blood. Evan started screaming. His chest tightened painfully. He threw open the door of the car, falling to the hard ground. Scrambling to his feet, he started running. Clutched in his hand was rose petals. "Evan!" Tyler called after him. "Evan, come back!"

"Evan." A dark hand reached out and grabbed him. Looking up, he couldn't tell if it was Brian or Jonathan, their faces morphing together to create something horrifying. Evan screamed again, struggling against the hands that grabbed at him.

"Evan!"

Jolted awake, Evan suddenly scrambled away from Craig, grabbing a pillow as if to shield himself with it. Early morning light was beginning to fill the room with a hazy, pale blue glow. Smitty stood in the doorway, gripping the door handle with white knuckles. "You're okay." Craig said quietly. "It's just a nightmare. Nothing can hurt you here." Evan shook his head. Nowhere felt safe. "You're safe."

"No…" Evan cried, tears welling up in his eyes. "Tyler's dead! He shot him! He shot him! I trusted him and he shot Tyler!" Evan wailed. "I don't even know about you anymore!" He couldn't stop the words as they spilt out of his mouth. "Fuck...Fuck! Fuck!" He threw the pillow across the room. "Fuck this! Fuck it all! You're all just serial killers."

"Evan." Craig reached for Evan's right hand only for him to pull it away sharply. "Please, trust me. You're safe. I'm here. Smitty is here." But Tyler wasn't. Evan looked down, his hands shaking. His breath was shortening. "Evan."

"I-I can't…Breathe." Evan got up on shaking legs, stumbling past Smitty as fast as he could to the living room where he nearly tripped over Brock on his way to the balcony door. He pushed it open, staggering onto the patio where he leaned heavily against the railing, heaving for air. "Fuck. Fuck! Fuck!" Everything was crumbling like dry dirt between his fingers. He wanted Tyler. He wanted his mom. His legs gave out under him cause him to fall back onto the lounge chair. He let out a gasping sob as he landed. Tears flowed down his face as he heaved for air in between sobs. He felt used, exhausted and terrified. He had lost control over his life.

Taking a deep breath, his hands shaking, he closed his eyes.

Sirens wailed. Evan's eyes flickered open. He lay on the lounge chair on the patio, his cheeks feeling dry from the tears. Someone had propped a pillow under his head and wrapped him up in a warm blanket. On the small table beside him was a glass of water, the ice cubes now melted from sitting in the morning sun for so long.

The city had come to life, it's roads now congested, it's towers sparkling in the warm sunlight. Evan stared out over the city, slowly focusing on the mountains and the hill where Tyler died. He couldn't help but wonder what happened to Tyler's car; to his body. Had they dragged it out of the pool and tossed it into the trunk of a car and drove out into the desert? Had they burned it? Or had they simply left his body in the pool? Evan shuddered at the thought. He hated Jonathan for what he'd done and what he might have done. Brian's words suddenly came back to him and a feeling of shame for his hatred, for his total belief of good and evil, came over him.

Brian was right, not everything and everyone was completely good or completely evil. Glancing around the chair to the window, he could see them in the living room. He remembered what he called them last night; serial killers. Turning his gaze to the small pieces of ice still floating in the water, Evan sighed, leaning back against the lounge chair. They were kind to him, but they never told him the truth. They knew they were using him for their greed but said nothing of it because they thought they were right; because they're all cowards. The thought occurred to Evan that Brian would have told him. He would say it how it is. No 'I think' or justification, just how it is.

Evan knew he shouldn't be thinking about this. Tyler wouldn't want him to be thinking about Brian as an ally. He wouldn't want Evan to leave his family. His left hand curled around his right hand, feeling the gauze against his palm. Evan wouldn't say it out loud, but Brian's offer of protection was beginning to sound a lot more tempting.

Getting up, he picked up the glass of water and pushed open the sliding door. Craig and the others looked up at him.

"How are you feeling?" Craig asked with a small smile.

"Okay." Evan shrugged. "What's going on?" He glanced around the room at the others who would look away when he met their gaze.

"We aren't sure what to do yet." Craig sighed. Evan's grip tightened on his glass. He hated waiting. Frustration at their indecisiveness built in his chest. Tyler would know what to do. Brian would know what to do.

"It's been a long time since we've all been on our own. What we're facing is big, Evan. We're sorry. I know you want to go home." Brock sighed. Evan didn't want that anymore but he didn't correct Brock.

"We just need time."

"We have as much time as Jonathan is going to give us." Evan suddenly snapped and turned, storming down the hallway to the bedroom, not looking back at Craig's nervous expression. He slammed the door with his right hand, pain making him wince. He struggled to take a deep breath, his gaze landing on the pig mask. "Why did you have to go?" Evan whispered. "Why did you have to go and leave me here with these people? With Jonathan?" Evan's voice got a little bit louder. "Why?" He demanded, taking a step towards the mask as if Tyler was going to answer him. There was nothing but silence.

Evan threw the glass of water at the mask. It collided with the wall behind it, the glass exploding into tiny pieces as water splattered down onto the dresser, the mask and the floor. Evan's hands were shaking uncontrollably, his breath ragged. Water trickled down the wall and dresser to the floor, pooling among the broken glass. A smile broke out on Evan's face. It had felt good.

Jonathan could make them wait all he wanted; Evan didn't care. He felt dangerous.

The clock that hung on the wall ticked, ticked, and ticked. Time remained neutral in this one-sided countdown. The roses on the counter were beginning to die in their vase. Marcel paced the living room all afternoon. Lui came and went, his coffee cup turning into a cigarette. Evan found a half-empty bottle of painkillers in the bathroom and Craig fast asleep in his bedroom. Daithi sat at the dining room table, his gaze on the window and the city outside, his fingers tapping out a beat on the expensive wood. Brock laid on the couch, his book on his chest for it had fallen from his tired hands a little while ago. Evan found Smitty on the balcony. There was a gun on the small table where Evan's cup of water had been. Stepping past the chair where Smitty dozed, Evan glanced over the railing at the street far below. He could have sworn he saw someone in a blue hoodie look up at him. Evan didn't flinch away, only stared back till the small figure walked away.

As it got dark, the rising skyscrapers becoming black silhouettes against the orange sky, Evan lay on the bed that had once belonged to Tyler, his dark gaze on the pig mask. He daydreamed of putting that mask on, of finding Jonathan and slamming a hammer into his skull. As the sun disappeared behind the mountains, Evan got up and walked over to the mask. He pulled it on, breathing in the rubber. Putting pressure on his right hand with his left hand, he leaned against the wall, leaning his pig head against the cream coloured wall. He slid down the wall to the floor, taking another deep breath of the rubber, putting more pressure on his right hand. He stared out the dark circles of the mask that made the eyes, feeling fresh blood ooze out of the cut in his palm and soak into the gauze.

There was still glass embedded in the carpet.

Where was Tyler's body? What did they do to him? The questions wouldn't leave Evan's mind. He imagined Jonathan dragging Tyler's body out of the pool as a fisherman would with a prized fish, and, like a fisherman or a worker in a slaughterhouse, gutting him. He imagined blood flowing down the pool deck and into the pool like a cursed river. He imagined Jonathan's face and hands covered with blood. He imagined rose petals coming out of Jonathan's mouth like blood, and how they would float down to the bloody pool deck. Evan's right hand closed into a fist, blood turning the gauze red.

In the living room, Marcel had stopped pacing and now sat across from Daithi at the table, a beer in hand. Brock was looking for something to eat in the kitchen but wasn't hungry. Craig sat on the couch with Smitty, his eyes red and puffy. Smitty wondered if someone could cry themselves to death.

"I'm hungry." Marcel suddenly said. "I'm going out. Craig, will you come?" Craig looked up at him and shrugged. "Great. I'll ask the kid." He got up and walked down the hall to the bedroom, knocking on the door.

Evan jumped, pulling the mask off his head. He swept the glass under the dresser with his foot, a few of the sharp pieces cutting into his skin.

"Fuck..." He whispered, wincing at the sharp pain. He reached for his socks, pulling them on to hide the small cuts.

"Yeah?" Evan called out.

"Want to get dinner?" Marcel asked.

"Uh...Sure." Evan said. "Give me a minute." He changed out his pyjamas into his jeans and t-shirt, pulling on his shoes without tying them up, and his jacket. He opened the door, nearly running into Marcel who noticed that the mask had moved.

"Are you okay, kid?" Marcel asked. Evan nodded. His foot stung. He curled his right hand into a fist to hide the new blood. "You can talk to us, okay? This hasn't been easy, especially for you. Don't lose it on us, okay?" Marcel smiled. Evan nodded again. When they walked into the living room, Smitty helped Craig up and offered to tie his shoes for him.

"No...I can do it." Craig said weakly. Marcel opened the front door and started into the hallway. Evan followed him.

"Aren't you gonna tie your shoes?" Marcel asked as he pressed the elevator button. Evan shrugged. One of the two elevator's door opened.

"Oh wait. I forgot my keys." Craig quickly headed back into the apartment.

"Go ahead. We'll meet you downstairs." Smitty said. Marcel nodded and stepped into the elevator. Evan glanced back at Smitty before following Marcel, the door sliding closed.

"Everyone is acting like it's the end of the world; like there is nothing left to do but grab as much food as you can and run for shelter." Marcel whispered, the elevator starting to descend. "What do you think I should do?" Marcel asked. Evan looked up at him, wondering why he would ask him, of all people, what he should do.

The elevator stopped. Both of them looked up at the red number on the small screen, 27. As the door opened, Evan moved closer to Marcel to make room for the person coming on. Evan thought that the shoes the person wore looked familiar. He lifted his gaze from the floor to the man. His heart stopped, his eyes widening. Terror filled his chest; paralysing him. Marcel's hand curled tightly around Evan's hand, pulling him closer.

Jonathan smiled at them. The door slid closed with a rattle of metal. He stood beside Evan, facing the door. Evan couldn't breathe. He couldn't move. He didn't feel dangerous anymore, he felt like a trapped animal; his neck was about to be snapped and fed to the dogs. This wasn't a dream. In the mirror walls, Evan could see his pale, terrified face and Marcel's hard gaze on Jonathan. Marcel's trembling hand was tight around Evan's wrist, his nails digging into his skin.

Evan lifted his wide-eyed gaze to meet Jonathan's who was smiling at him through the mirror. He looked at Evan like he missed him terribly. Evan couldn't move his gaze away from Jonathan's. All those dreams and questions and he couldn't even move. Tyler would be disappointed in him; disappointed that he couldn't even breathe. Every second was emphasized with the beep of the elevator as it passed each floor. Every second felt painful.

The elevator slowly came to a stop on the ground floor. Jonathan turned his head, releasing Evan from his gaze, to look at Marcel. The door began to open. Without warning, Marcel shoved Evan out of the elevator, sending him sprawling to the marble floor. Evan turned his head in time to see Jonathan lunging towards him. Jonathan's hand grabbed Evan's right ankle, dragging him back into the elevator. His nails dug into Evan's skin above his ankle, his thin sock offering no protection. Marcel grabbed at Jonathan's hoodie, trying to pull him away from Evan who was clawing at the smooth marble floor, trying desperately to get away.

Finally letting out the scream of fear and anger that had built up inside him, Evan managed to kick Jonathan in the face as hard as he could as Marcel yanked Jonathan back. Evan felt Jonathan's nose bend under his shoe. Jonathan and Marcel fell against the back of the elevator; Marcel's head connecting hard with the mirrored wall. In Jonathan's hand was Evan's right shoe which had fallen off in the struggle. As the door closed, Evan saw Jonathan hit Marcel, blood splattering onto the glass as the red running shoe dropped to the floor. The red number above the elevator began to count up. Evan managed to sit up, heaving for air as he leaned his head back against the wall behind him. Jonathan's going to kill him. The other elevator reached the ground floor. The door opened slowly.

"Evan?" Smitty was suddenly beside him. "What happened?"

"Jonathan." Evan stammered. Craig's face went pale. He frantically pressed the buttons to call the elevator as if pushing it more than once would hurry it up. The elevator stopped on floor twenty-seven. Smitty stood and ran for the stairs, throwing open the heavy metal door. The bang of it slamming made Evan jump painfully, his heart feeling like it was going to break his ribcage.

"Evan, what happened?" Craig asked. Evan didn't answer. His eyes were on the red number above the elevator door. "Evan!" He dropped in front of the boy, grabbing his red jacket and shook him roughly. "Tell me what happened!" Evan stared at Craig, seeing the desperation and fear in his face. He said nothing, only stared. Marcel could be dead already and it was his fault. He did nothing to stop it. Tyler would be so disappointed. "Tell me!" Craig yelled, shaking Evan again. It seemed to snap Evan out of his shock for he suddenly burst into tears, grabbing onto Craig and held onto him as tight as he could.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry!" Evan cried. "I'm sorry!"

"For what?"

"For not stopping him...He just came onto that elevator...and just smiled at me!" Tears stained Craig's t-shirt. "And then it got to the bottom and Marcel pushed me out but Jonathan tried to pull me back in...Marcel pulled him back and couldn't get out in time!" He took a deep, shuddering breath. "Oh god...He's dead. Jonathan's killed him too!"

"No...No, you don't know that. Jonathan wouldn't kill Marcel." Craig said, rubbing Evan's back gently. "He wouldn't…"

"He killed Tyler!"

"Shh...Don't think about that, Evan. It'll be okay." He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Evan's head. "You'll be okay." The elevator door opened behind him. Craig got up slowly, turning to look into the elevator. "M-Marcel…" Craig stammered, stepping into the elevator. He held his hand out to keep the door open. "Evan! Come here and keep the door open. Marcel?" Evan scrambled to his feet, his right foot feeling cold against the marble floor. His eyes widened with horror. Marcel lay in a corner of the elevator. There was blood all over his face; all over the wall, all over the floor. His arm looked twisted in the wrong direction. Evan felt like he was going to be sick. "Marcel!" Craig cried as he tried to prop him up gently. Marcel let out a faint groan of pain. "You're okay. Deep breaths. Evan, press our floor button. I have to help him. Now." Evan nodded and did as he was told. The door closed behind him. The elevator jolted as it started to go up. Evan turned and noticed that there was a sticky note on the door that hadn't been there before. There was a bloody thumbprint on it. "What is that?" Evan pulled it off the door, reading it over.

"It's an address." Evan placed his thumb over the bloody print on the sticky note. Jonathan had left this for him.

Smitty tapped his fingers against his beer bottle, a confused expression on his face. No one knew what to make of the address that Jonathan had given them. Brock had looked it up to discover that it was for a hotel on 6th street called the Hotel Normandie. None of them had ever been there, hardly ever drove past it.

"What if it's for the vault?" Smitty asked.

"Jonathan wouldn't just give it to us. Especially after beating the shit out of Marcel." Daithi pointed out. "It's a trap. I recommend throwing that note away and forgetting about it. You're dead if you go there."

"What else could it be?" Evan whispered.

"We're not going!" Daithi cried.

"What's your plan then?" Evan turned his head to look at Daithi, narrowing his eyes. "How do you plan to kill Jonathan?"

"What? Kill him?" Daithi looked shocked.

"Yes. Kill him." Evan repeated. "He killed Tyler and nearly killed Marcel. Why don't you want him dead?"

"We don't know for sure he killed Tyler." Daithi snapped. Evan's grip tightened on the small piece of paper. "We're relying on some kid we hardly know to tell us what happened to Tyler."

"I trust Evan." Smitty spoke up.

"You were gonna shoot him in the head." Daithi reminded him.

"I wasn't going to. I'm not gonna kill some innocent kid." Smitty snapped.

"That kid ain't innocent anymore." Daithi snapped. The room fell into silence. Outside, a car honked and a siren suddenly wailed. Down the hall, Marcel let out a groan of pain as Craig stitched up the wound on his cheek.

"Tyler would go." Evan breathed. "He'd want us to go."

"Evan...Don't say that." Brock sighed. "We can't be obsessing over what Tyler would do or wouldn't do." Evan's dark gaze flickered up to Brock, narrowing slightly.

"I'm not obsessed." Evan's voice was harsher than he meant it to be. Brock lifted an eyebrow. "I am not obsessed with Tyler." His right hand bound in gauze curled into a fist.

"I think Evan's right." Smitty said. "What other plan do we have? We can't sit here waiting forever for the inevitable. Either we go, or wait for Brian and Jonathan to kill us all."

"If we go there, we die! We're better off just getting out of town as quickly and quietly as we can." Daithi cried. "Why do you fucking idiots want to die so badly? Did you not see what Jonathan did to Marcel?"

"It's because of what he did that we have to go!" Smitty cried. "He shot Tyler! He beat up Marcel! He wants to kill Evan! Getting out of town isn't going to stop him!"

"This isn't a fucking movie, Smitty! Do the smart thing. Let's get the fuck out of here!"

"I'm not leaving my mom here." Evan snapped. Daithi sighed, running a hand through his hair. "If anything happens...it's my fault. I'll take the blame for whatever happens. Just, please...We have to go." Evan begged. Daithi glanced around the room at the others who seemed just as unsure as him. Evan's right hand shook a little in its fist. He would kill Jonathan even if it meant being the last thing he'd ever do.


	16. Chapter 16

"Just don't think about it. Don't think about what you're doing. You won't feel as guilty when it's real." A hot wind blew across the desert. Sweat made the gun in Evan's hands slick and hard to hold. He stared at the bottles that were a few yards in front of him. Heat waves rolled across the sand. Smitty stood beside him, his gaze on the bottles. The heat felt like a burning white neon light.

"Do you still feel guilty?" Evan asked quietly.

"Sometimes. If they had made me shoot you, I wouldn't have forgiven myself." Smitty said. Evan turned his gaze away from the bottles, looking up at Smitty who met his gaze. Slowly, Smitty's lips turned up into a small smile that faded away after a few moments. "About what happened to Marcel, don't feel bad about it, okay? It's not your fault." Evan looked back at the bottles, his breath catching in his throat. He shifted his weight uncomfortably. His right running shoe had blotches of dark red stains that Evan had tried and failed to scrub out over the tub the night before.

"Jonathan has my picture." Evan managed to say. He felt guilty. He had been unable to fight back.

"That doesn't mean it's your fault. You couldn't have known that was going to happen. If it's anyone's, it's our fault for letting our guard down." Smitty sighed. Evan shook his head. He'd never blame them for this. Evan took a deep breath and fired the gun. The bullet completely missed the bottles. Evan let out an annoyed sigh. Why did Brian think he was dangerous? He couldn't do anything. "Don't get frustrated. Try again." Evan raised the gun and once more, pulled the trigger. One of the bottles wobbled when the bullet flew past it and embedded itself into the dirt behind it.

"Shit." Evan muttered, lowering the gun.

"You're thinking about it too much. Come on. Again." Smitty encouraged him. Evan did as he was told and fired the gun again.

The hot bath water rippled gently around Evan's left hand as he moved it back and forth through the water. His right hand, the gauze needing to be changed and tightened, hung over the side of the white tub. His dark gaze was on the ceiling. On the counter was a vase of yellow buttercups.

Evan's mind wouldn't let go of the image of Jonathan staring at him through the mirror of the elevator, a smile on his face. He was playing with Evan. He knew Evan was scared, knew he wanted to kill him just as much as he wanted Evan dead.

Sighing, Evan leaned his head back against the tub. Not even two weeks ago, he had thought that going to school was the scariest thing he'd ever have to face. Those five numbers had completely changed his life; it didn't feel like a good thing. The fear he faced felt suffocating, just like the cord that had been wrapped around his neck by the men that had tried to kill him that day with Jonathan. His gaze turned down to the water as he remembered what it felt like not being able to breathe and the fear that had taken control of him.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he sank underwater. Bubbles floated up from his nose. His right hand slowly curled around the side of the tub as his chest tightened as he began to run out of air.

Still, he stayed underwater. His chest felt like it couldn't get any tighter. It felt like his ribs had been cracked all over again. It felt like someone had wrapped their hands around his neck. His right hand gripped the tub, his knuckles had gone white. Evan suddenly gasped, water filling his lungs. He sat up suddenly, water spilling over the side of the side of the tub, heaving for air. Water soaked through the gauze on Evan's right hand.

Leaning back against the tub, Evan took a deep breath and went under again.

The city was glowing that night. Neon light illuminated the inside of the car, sparkling in the night as the cars sped past. Evan stared out the window, his head against the headrest. The expensive red car came to a stop at an intersection, the Charger stopping behind them. Evan slowly turned his head to look at Craig who held the steering wheel tightly. He hadn't been happy when he heard their plan but agreed to it because he couldn't think of anything else. Leaving was not an option and no one wanted to wait to see what else Jonathan would do.

"You should wait in the car." Craig said quietly. Evan's right hand clenched into a fist.

"No." Craig met Evan's gaze. "Tyler told me to wait. I'm not waiting. I'm going with you."

"Evan...It's not safe." Craig sighed.

"Waiting in the car is?" Evan's eyes narrowed. "I'm tired of you guys telling me stories."

"What's the point of all of this if you get killed?" Craig suddenly snapped. "Tyler made you wait for a reason! He wasn't making you wait to have a laugh or fucking around! These people are bad people! They don't fucking care that you're a kid! They will kill you if given the opportunity!" Evan stared at Craig with wide eyes. The light turned green, the car quickly speeding up.

"And you're not a bad person?" Evan said before he could stop himself. He crossed his arms and looked away from Craig's shocked expression.

"What do you...What are you talking about?" Craig cried.

"I heard you let someone bleed to death. I thought you were a medic...Someone who cares." Evan said, his eyes on the city outside the window.

"Who told you that?" Craig demanded. Evan said nothing. "Who? Who fucking told you?" Craig yelled. "Who fucking told you?"

"Brian."

"Brian told you that? Brian told you? Why would you believe him?" Craig sounded furious. Evan's chest tightened. "Tell me! Do you believe him?"

"He had no reason to lie."

"He's a fucking snake! You should never, ever believe a word he says!" Craig yelled, his eyes switching between the teenaged boy and the road.

"Did Tyler tell you that?" Evan asked, his dark gaze turning to Craig who stammered, unable to answer his question. "Brian had no reason to lie. He just me told how things are."

"He tried to kill you, Evan!" Craig cried. "He's evil! He's a horrible, cruel human being! Don't you dare fall for his lies!" Evan kept his gaze on the flashing neon lights. His mom had never even yelled at him like this before. Craig scared him. "Evan look at me." Craig said sternly. Evan didn't move. "Evan!" He slowly turned his head to look at Craig. "Promise me that you won't listen to him." Evan didn't want to listen to Brian. He knew Tyler would want him to listen to Craig and the others. However, Brian had offered protection and Craig and the rest of Tyler's family had let Jonathan into their building; they had doubted him.

"I promise." Evan said quietly. Satisfied, Craig turned his attention back to the road. The sounds of passing cars filled the silence. Lights would shine across their faces for only a few moments before fading away. "Did you do it?" Evan whispered. "Did you let a man bleed out?" He glanced at Craig who gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"Yes." Craig whispered. "I did." Once more, silence surrounded them. Evan turned back to the window. Brian was right. No one was good in this world. "It's not like he was innocent." Craig broke the silence, trying to justify his actions. "He was one of Brian's guys. He was shooting at us…" Craig said matter-of-factly. "I would have helped him…"

"You didn't." Evan breathed. He prayed Craig didn't hear him but the silence told him that he did.

"I don't want you to get hurt, okay?" Craig said as the red car turned onto the street the hotel was on.

"Okay." Evan sighed.

As they approached the hotel, something white caught Evan's eye. Under a warm, orange street lamp in front of the hotel, was Tyler's white and black Corvette. Evan sat up, staring at it with wide eyes. For a moment, he thought it was a hallucination until he noticed Craig staring at it too.

"Oh my god…" Craig glanced at Evan who stared back, just as confused. The red Ferrari pulled over across the street from the Corvette, the Charger parking behind it. Before Craig could say anything, Evan had pulled his seat belt off and pushed open the door, stepping out onto the sidewalk. "Evan! Wait!" Craig called out, quickly opening his door. Evan heard Marcel yell his name, telling him to get back but Evan didn't listen. He hurried across the road towards the Corvette, tears filling his eyes. Was there a possibility that Tyler was alive? What if it was all a test? A joke? Tyler could still be alive! Evan's chest felt like it was going to burst. He let out a sob as he got nearer to the Corvette, reaching out to touch its white side. Tyler was alive, he knew it.

On the driver's seat was a bouquet of roses wrapped in black paper.

"Evan!" Smitty screamed.

There was a click.

A sudden force threw Evan off his feet. Heat rolled over him. He flailed his arms out as he flew through the air, trying to stop his fall.

It felt like a wave had swept over him.

As he flew through the air, Evan was six again, playing among the waves at the beach on a bright summer day. His mom sat on the sand, watching him. He had giggled, splashing the water. As if in response to his splashes, a wave had suddenly crashed over him. Water had filled his lungs. He was thrown around like he was nothing. His arms had flailed. The watery world around him was spinning, the salt water stinging his eyes every time he tried to open them. His mother's arms had suddenly wrapped around him, pulling him from the water to safety.

This time, no one caught him.

Evan hit the pavement hard, his jacket tearing as he rolled across the hard surface before coming to a stop several feet from where he had been, his face pressed against the road. His ears were ringing painfully. Slowly, Evan opened his eyes. Through the fog of tears and smoke, Evan could faintly make out the burning Corvette. Its white paint was blackened, its interior consumed with flames that spilt out its broken windows. Something loud rang through the air. Blurry shapes moved like ghosts around him.

There was another loud bang, then another. Distorted voices yelled into the smoke. As frightened as he felt, Evan couldn't move. His ears wouldn't stop ringing. Staring at the ghostly figures with wide, unblinking eyes, he wondered if he was dead. There was another bang and the figures ducked. Evan couldn't focus on the ghosts, their blurry shapes seeming to disappear and reappear in the smoke. He could only stare at the burning car.

Was he dead? After everything that had happened, was he dead?

Evan felt dead.

He couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Was this how Tyler felt?

Evan didn't know that today would be the day he died.

Something grabbed his right shoulder and rolled him onto his back. Evan's gaze was now on the wide open night sky and the smoke as it billowed above the buildings. There was a voice but Evan couldn't make out what it was saying. A figure leaned over Evan, blocking the sky from view. There was another bang. The two figures grabbed Evan's lapels, dragging him across the street, past the burning car. There were more loud bangs and then a new sound, like splintering wood. The sky and the smoke gave away to a white ceiling and a floor replaced the hard pavement. The figures propped Evan up against a wall. There were more of them now, kneeling in front of him. Someone suddenly shook his lapels violently. Evan's head rolled back and hit the wall. He blinked and winced in pain.

"Fuck...Fuck...Oh my fucking God…" One of the figures reached forward, pulling Evan into a hug. "Evan...Say something, please. Are you okay?" Evan's head ached. He took a deep, strangled breath of air. His ribs protested the movement. With his face pressed against Smitty's shirt, he became aware of the blood oozing down his face from his forehead.

"T-They...They destroyed Tyler's car…" Evan managed to whisper. Smitty's hug tightened around Evan.

"I know." A gentle hand reached for Evan's wrist, pressing their thumb against his skin to feel his pulse.

"We can't stay here. Any minute they'll be on us." Marcel said, his eyes on the end of the hallway they were in. Under the harsh white light of the hallway, the stitches on Marcel's cheek looked angry. Looking past Smitty, and around the hall, Evan realised that they were in the hotel, having gone through a side door. Outside the open doorway, the Corvette burned.

"The kid can't move! Not like this!" Craig cried.

"Then we get out of here!" Daithi snapped.

"No…" Evan shook his head. He took another deep, shuddering breath. "Leave me here."

"That's stu-" Marcel was cut off as a man suddenly appeared at the end of the hall. Gunshots rang through the hallway, the group of them ducking their heads.

"We're here because the vault might be here. We'll search the building and then we'll get the fuck out of here." Smitty said when the shooting stopped. "And if we kill Jonathan and find the vault in the process, even better." Reluctantly, the others agreed to the plan. Brock got up and closed the door, locking it. "Can you walk?" Smitty asked Evan who nodded but he needed help to get up.

He limped down the hall with Smitty, leaning heavily against him. Smitty stopped when he found a small supply closet. He helped Evan sit back down, leaning him against the back wall under the cluttered shelves. Evan had to hug his knees to his chest to fit in the small space among the mops and strong smelling cleaner fluid. "Here." Smitty held his handgun out to Evan. "Just in case. You'll be okay." Smitty smiled reassuringly. Evan did his best to keep his hands from shaking as he took the gun. "We'll come back and get you soon. Promise." Smitty smiled. Behind him, the others nodded. Craig gave him a smile. Evan wondered if he was smiling because he got what he wanted; Evan waiting.

Smitty closed the closet door and Evan heard the padlock on the outside click as it locked, leaving him locked in the darkness. The boy looked around the small closet, forcing himself to breathe. His chest was tightening. It made him think about hiding in his closet when his dad passed away. He had spent hours hidden among the coats, his tear-filled eyes on the crack of light coming through the door. Evan stared at the door in front of him and the light coming in under the door. The gun shook in his hands. He wasn't as brave as he thought he was.

Down the hall, Craig glanced back at the locked closet door, looking hesitant at leaving Evan alone and vulnerable. He had never felt more guilty and terrified when he peered over the hood of his car that he had thrown himself over in time to avoid the blast, and saw Evan laying face down on the pavement; he had looked like a corpse. He told himself that Evan would be fine. They turned a corner, heading down a small staircase. Marcel kicked open the first door, scanning the empty laundry room. They continued slowly down the hall, all of them at the ready.

"We should split up." Marcel whispered. Before anyone could make a command, a door suddenly swung open. A group of men stepped into the hall from another storage room, shooting at the boys. Unphased, they shot back. One of them knocked the gun from Craig's hands and punched him hard in the face. Grabbing the man's wrist, Craig spun and bent at the waist, pulling hard enough on the man's arm to dislocate it. He threw the man over his shoulder, hearing bones crack as the man landed on the cement floor with a cry of pain. Craig grabbed his gun and aimed it at the man's head. The image of Evan's look of disgust towards him after he said yes to letting a man die flashed through his mind. Craig stared at him, debating what he should do. Instead of pulling the trigger, he hit the man hard in the face with the gun, knocking him out. Craig turned and caught up with the others as a yell and more gunshots ran out through the hallway.

Evan jumped at the sound of gunshots. The gun in his hands tightened. Breathing was getting hard. His wide eyes were on the crack of light coming in from under the door. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"They are coming back…" Evan whispered. "They aren't gonna leave me…"

"Are we playing hide and seek?" A voice from the other side of the door laughed. Evan's eyes shot open, his breath caught in his chest as fear overwhelmed him. Someone one had blocked out the light from under the door. With shaking hands, Evan aimed the gun at the door. "I found you, Evan." Jonathan said. Evan pulled the trigger. Bullets burst through the door, letting light into the dark closet. When he finally let go of the trigger, Evan shakily lowered the gun.

Had he shot Jonathan? Had he really done it? He couldn't stop the small laugh of relief of escaped his throat. Tyler would be proud. "Something funny?" Jonathan asked. There was a sudden gunshot, the bullet breaking. Evan screamed as another bullet was shot through the door and embedded itself in the wall above him. The door flew open. Hands curled tightly around Evan's lapels, dragging him out of the closet. Jonathan threw him against the opposite wall, smiling at him as he crumpled to the floor. Jonathan kicked the gun away from him and before Evan could react, put a knee on his chest, pinning him down to the floor. "I've been dreaming about you." He curled his hands around Evan's throat, squeezing as hard as he could. Evan gasped for air, his eyes going wide with fear as the air left his lungs. He hit at Jonathan, desperately struggling to push him off. He pressed his gauze-wrapped hand against Jonathan's face, pushing as hard as he could against his head.

Down the hall, the boys had made their way into the hotel's kitchen. Blood splattered onto the floor as a man fell to the floor. Smitty fired at another as he ran into the kitchen only to be grabbed by Ryan, one of Brian's favourites he had heard, when it came to dealing with problems. Ryan spun Smitty around, throwing him down against one of the metal counters. His gun fell from his hands. Smitty gasped in pain, his hands fumbling for anything he could use. His hands curled around a knife. Ryan hit Smitty's head off the counter. His head spun. Gritting his teeth and letting out an angry cry, he managed to turn and slashed Ryan's face, the knife glinting in the sunlight. Ryan cried out in pain, falling back to the floor, his hands over his eyes. He screamed in pain as Smitty threw the knife down, turning to face the others. From down the hall came the sound of gunshots and a scream. Smitty looked back at the others with wide eyes. Smitty met Craig's gaze from across the room. Smitty started towards the hall but a hand suddenly curled around his ankle, sending him crashing to the hard floor. Ryan grabbed him with his left hand, his right reaching for the knife.

Evan's hands fell from Jonathan's head. The world was darkening at the edges of Evan's vision. Jonathan stared down at him, a smile wide on his face. Evan's wide, bloodshot gaze lowered to Jonathan's shoulder. With the last energy he had, he raised his gauze-wrapped hand and dug his thumb into Jonathan's wound as deep as he could. Blood oozed out from the stab wound and soaked into Evan's gauze. Jonathan screamed in anger and pain, letting go of Evan's neck to hit his hand away. Evan aimed a sharp knee to Jonathan's groin, managing to push him off. Evan gasped as air flooded his lungs. He coughed as he rolled onto his stomach and tried to crawl away from Jonathan.

A hand curled around the back of Evan's collar, his own t-shirt now choking him. He cried out as Jonathan dragged him to his feet, spinning him around to throw him again against the wall. He pinned him to the wall, lifting him off his feet. Evan's bloodstained shoes kicked against Jonathan's shins and the wall.

"I-I'm going to kill you." Evan spat in Jonathan's face. Jonathan laughed.

"Will you, little boy?" Jonathan smiled. Evan locked his dark gaze on him, his chest tight from lack of air. Jonathan broke away from his gaze to look down the hall. He leaned closer to Evan who shrunk back against the wall. He aimed another sharp kick to Jonathan's shins. He hissed, his grip tightening on Evan's jacket. "I'll see you soon." Jonathan smiled and let go of Evan, dropping him back to the floor. When Evan looked back up, Jonathan was gone, the door at the end of the hall slowly closing.

Gunshots coming from the other end of the hall made Evan jump. Taking a deep, wheezing breath, Evan got to his feet. He picked up the gun and slowly staggered down the dark hallway. Turning the corner, Evan stopped when he saw the bodies.


	17. Chapter 17

Blood soaked into the boy's shoe and stained his white socks. He slowly made his way down the hall, his eyes on the kitchen door at the end. His gauze-wrapped hand clutched the gun Smitty had given him.

He couldn't look down.

If he looked down, Brian would be right.

If he looked down, he would know there was no such thing as good and evil in the world. He would know that Craig and the rest of Tyler's family were lying to themselves. They were just as horrible. All the flowers in the world couldn't hide the grey world and the lies people told themselves.

Evan couldn't look down.

A part of him wanted to look down. His gaze began to lower to the bloody floor. He felt like he was going to be sick. Evan raised his eyes, stopping to lean against the wall, his grip tightening on the gun.

"Fuck!" Evan heard Smitty yell. Something metal fell to the floor. Evan's breath shuddered in his rattled lungs. For a moment, he wished he had done what Lui had done; leave. Lui had said it was pointless to go after the vault now that Tyler was gone.

He looked down. Blood soaked through his shoes into his socks. Bodies lay in distorted positions, their wide eyes staring at nothing. The teenaged boy fell back against the wall, his hands pressed over his mouth as his stomach rolled violently. His eyes watered and stung.

"S-Serial killers…" Evan whispered. "They're all serial killers…" The occurred to him that Tyler was too. Evan shook his head. Tyler wouldn't do this. "Serial killers…" There was a gunshot in the kitchen. Evan jumped, his chest hurting at the sound.

"Mother fucker!" Someone yelled. Evan recognized that voice.

"Where's the vault? Is it here?" Marcel demanded.

"Yeah, it's fucking here. You don't have the code though." Ryan spat.

"What do you mean?" Craig demanded. Evan stared at the open doorway. He could see the white floor and faint reflections move across its glossy surface. One of the reflections moved suddenly. Ryan let out a cry of pain that echoed down the hallway. "What do you mean?" Craig yelled.

"Jonathan's gone to take care of Evan." Ryan said through gritted teeth. Evan glanced back down the hallway, expecting Jonathan to be there but saw no one. Jonathan had left. Evan turned back to the kitchen, managing to push himself off the wall and stumble towards the door as Craig suddenly burst into the hall, nearly knocking Evan to the floor. Craig grabbed Evan's wrist before he could fall, pulling him back onto his feet.

"Evan...Fuck, what happened?" Craig cried when he saw the pale look on Evan's face and the bruises around his throat.

"J-Jonathan…" Evan whispered. Craig suddenly ran down the hallway before Evan could say anything. The boy stumbled the rest of the way down the hall to the kitchen. There were more bodies there but Evan was more shocked to see Ryan sitting on the floor, his back against a metal counter, blood streaming over his eyes from a deep cut just above his eyebrows. His right thigh was covered in blood. Someone had shot him purposefully in the leg. Evan's right hand curled into a fist.

"Evan, are you okay?" Smitty asked. There was a tear down the side of Smitty's jacket.

"I'm fine." Evan snapped, harsher than he meant to. Smitty's brow furrowed.

"Did you see Jonathan?" Brock asked cautiously. Evan's dark gaze turned to him, his eyes narrowing sharply.

"Yeah. I did."

"Your kid is pissed." Ryan laughed, his eyes in the door. Evan followed his gaze. Brian stood in the doorway with Anthony and a few others.

Luke was not with them.

Craig stood in front of them, a terrified look on his face. Evan wondered if they had a gun to his back.

"Sorry about Tyler's car." Brian said, pushing Craig into the kitchen. "That wasn't my idea."

"It was Jonathan's." Evan breathed.

"It was." Brian gave him a smile. "I had a feeling I'd see you again, Evan. I knew you weren't the kind to run away forever."

"We're not here to play any fucking games! Where's the vault?" Marcel demanded. Evan glanced back at him, seeing his gun aimed at Brian's head. Evan's right hand curled around a glass cup on the counter. Marcel made eye contact with Evan. Evan turned his gaze back to Craig who was staring at him.

"Marcel don't be dumb. You pull the trigger and I pull mine." Brian sighed. "I don't want to."

"We're not listening to you." Daithi snapped. Evan's grip tightened on the cup.

"You're all so stubborn." Brian hissed. "It's annoying. I've got shit to do and I know you do too."

"You don't know anything." Marcel snarled.

"You'd be surprised." Anthony said, getting a glare from Brian.

"He's not wrong." Brian shrugged.

"Stop it! Stop whatever the fuck you're doing! We're not listening to you! We're gonna accept any fucking deal!" Marcel yelled.

"Who said I was making a deal with you?" Brian's eyes narrowed. Evan watched Brian, noticing that his eyes were as bright as Tyler's had been. Brian let out an annoyed sigh. "I'll make this quick-" Evan threw the glass on the floor, shards of glass flying through the air. Attention turned to Evan. Craig broke away from Brian, running to the safety of the others. Everyone who had a gun raised it, outnumbering Brian and his men. Evan's hands shook, the gun getting wet with sweat as he struggled to keep it steadily aimed at Brian.

"Where's the vault?" Marcel yelled. Brian said nothing. He was staring at Evan. Marcel fired a shot into the ceiling, making everyone jump. "Where is it?"

"Upstairs. Room 215." Brian said, his unwavering gaze locked on the boy. "You can choose not to believe me. You can choose not to keep it but I want you to have it, Evan. You deserve it. Not those fucking morons. You're smarter." Brian gestured to the others. "I want you to control it."

"I'm just a kid." Evan said quietly.

"No. You're not just a kid." Brian said sharply. "Go." Evan lowered his gun, slowly moving towards the door.

"Evan." Craig snapped. "Don't. Don't listen to him. He killed Tyler!" Evan stopped, looking back at Craig. He shook his head.

"No. He didn't. Jonathan did." With that, Evan pushed past Anthony and Brian.

"Evan wait! You guys stay here." Smitty's voice echoed from the kitchen. He heard running footsteps coming after him. "It could be a trap. You can't trust him!" Smitty said when he caught up to Evan. Craig was right behind him. Evan said nothing; they'd be mad at him if he said anything. Brian had given him the vault. He meant it, Evan knew he did.

As childish as it was, it felt like Brian had crowned him king of L.A.

So he said nothing to Craig and Smitty's protests.

"You said Brian was there when Tyler died. How do you know that he didn't put Jonathan up to killing him?" Craig cried as they reached the end of the hallway. Evan pushed open the door to the lobby, his teeth gritting. "How do you know that Jonathan won't be waiting in that room to kill you? If Jonathan has the code, then what's the point of keeping you alive?" Craig grabbed Evan's arm, pulling him back from the staircase. Evan pulled aggressively away from Craig.

"Shut up." Evan snapped.

"Have you been working for Brian this whole time?" Craig whispered. "Have you been lying to us?" Smitty stared at Evan with wide, horrified eyes. Evan's chest tightened and he shook his head.

"No. I'm not working with Brian." Evan spat.

"And you won't ever, right?" Craig asked. Evan stared at him for a few moments then nodded.

"Of course, Craig." Evan said and continued up the stairs.

The hallway was dark and empty. Evan glanced at the small numbers on the door, stopping when he came to room 215. The door had been left unlocked. Evan hesitated before opening the door. This didn't feel right without Tyler. Evan heard Craig and Smitty raised their guns. Taking a deep breath, Evan pushed open the door, raising his gun. The room was empty of all furniture. The window was open, the warm night air billowing the thin white curtain.

And there was the vault at the far side of the room.

Its door was open.

And it was empty.

There was nothing but a rose placed neatly inside the vault.

"You're kidding." Smitty breathed. Evan slowly stepped into the room, the gun in his left hand shaking. Tears welled up in his eyes. He knelt down in front of the vault, picking up the rose. Its sharp thorns drew blood from his thumb from he accidentally pricked it. He let out an angry sob. "What the fuck is this?" It all made sense. Jonathan left, Luke was gone. They had taken it all.

"You can't say anything to the others...They can't know that Jonathan did this...No one can. Jonathan wants us to fail." Evan's voice broke.

"We have to! He took all of it!" Craig stammered. "He killed Tyler and took all the money...He made the vault meaningless…"

"Shut up! Don't you dare say a word to anyone about this!" Evan yelled, startling Craig and Smitty. Angrily, he pulled all the petals off the rose, throwing them to the floor. "I'm going to kill him." Evan got to his feet, slamming the door of the vault closed and stormed out of the room. Rage coursed through his veins. He ran down the stairs, ignoring Craig who yelled at him. He kicked open the door to the staff hallway, only stopping at the storage closet he had hidden in. On the shelf that had been above Evan's head was a hammer. Evan curled his right hand around the hammer. He continued towards the kitchen.

"Is it everything you hoped for?" Brian asked with a smile when he saw Evan in the doorway. His face paled as Evan raised his gun. Evan shot Brian in the leg. He screamed as he fell to the floor, clutching at his thigh. Anthony and the others went to grab Evan only to stop when he took a step back, his gun raised at them.

"Get out!" Evan spat. No one moved. "Get the fuck out!" He screamed. "I need to talk to Brian alone."

"Evan." Brock said gently. "It's okay...Don't...Don't do this."

"Get out." Evan said through gritted teeth.

"Evan, please. You're a kid...Don't get involved in this." Brock said desperately. "Tyler wouldn't want you to get involved."

"I'm already involved." Evan snarled. Brock sighed and left the kitchen. Marcel hauled Ryan to his feet, shoving him out of the room despite his protests. Daithi helped him get Anthony and the others out, managing to close the door behind them. Their shouts became muffled.

"Evan...What's wrong?" Brian gasped, slowly moving away from the boy as he got closer.

"It's empty." Evan hissed, dropping his gun to the floor.

"Empty?" Brian looked genuinely shocked and confused. "What do y-you mean? Empty?"

"It's fucking empty." Evan suddenly dropped his knee down onto Brian's chest, gripping his collar with his left hand as he raised the hammer. "Jonathan took all of the money. Where is he?" Evan yelled. Brian raised his hands in surrender.

"I don't know! I don't know where Jonathan went! He planned to blow up Tyler's car! He knew you would come!" Brian cried. "Evan...Evan let's talk! Jonathan's stabbed you in the back and now he's stabbed me in the back too! Let's talk! I can protect you!"

"You let him steal all the money." Evan's grip tightened on the hammer.

"With you on my side...That won't happen again." Brian said, his voice calmer. "Let go of the hammer and let's talk. I know you're feeling scared...Tyler's family has proved to you they aren't as good as they said they were...They aren't the saviours you woke up to in that motel in San Diego. They aren't real flowers...They are plastic. Jonathan is a plastic flower, a liar, a backstabber, only doing what he wants. He's ruthless. It would take someone like you to take him down." Evan stared at Brian, not sure if he should lower his arm or not. "You know it's true...I can help you. I know you want to kill Jonathan. I want him dead too. Let me help you, Evan."

The bright city lights illuminated the dark room. Evan lay, fully dressed with his bloodstained shoes tied tightly, on top of the blankets. Occasionally, his gaze would turn to the neon digital clock on the bedside table. Staring up at the ceiling, Evan fidgeted with his red sleeve. He had borrowed some thread and a needle from Craig and was able to haphazardly fix the tear in his jacket. There was now stitches joining the long tear down the back of the red leather jacket, making it look like a healing wound. He had given Craig a faltering smile when he thanked him for the thread, the same faltering smile that had been on his face as they celebrated after Evan had told them that the vault was theirs.

"Brian's never gonna fuck with us again!" Daithi had cheered that night. Evan remembered looking back at Craig and Smitty who seemed hesitant to celebrate. So long as no one knew there was no money in the vault, things would be okay.

The time on the digital clock read 1:00 am.

Evan got up, walking around the bed to the dresser where the pig mask sat, watching him with its dark eyes. Evan stared at it for a moment before picking it him, clutching the rubber mask tight in his hand. He quietly opened the bedroom door, seeing the sleeping figures in the living room down the hall. Evan stepped into the bathroom, turning the light on. He didn't recognize the boy he saw in the mirror. His black hair fell over his face. His eyes looked tired. The bruises around his neck were only now starting to fade. This boy was never going home. He took a deep breath, the boy in the mirror doing the same. He turned the tap on, splashing cold water on his face. When he stood up, turning the tap off, his dark eyes landed on the vase of roses on the counter. He plucked one from the vase, careful to avoid its thorns. He broke the long stem, making it small enough to fit into a buttonhole on his lapel. The red corsage suited the jacket. Evan smiled. He turned the light off and silently made his way into Craig's room, stealing his keys and tucked them into his pocket. He'd be back before anyone woke up. He quietly closed Craig's door and made his way through the living room, past the sleeping boys. He stopped beside Smitty, reaching into the bag beside the couch he slept in and took the gun that Smitty kept there all the time. He whispered a quiet apology. He hated lying, hated stealing. It was what had to be done. He continued towards the front door, silently stepping into the hallway. He locked the door and waited for the elevator. It's slow doors rattled open. He leaned against the mirrored wall as the elevator descended. He took a deep breath. His lungs no longer hurt. Looking up at the mirror in front of him, he remembered Jonathan and how he had smiled at him.

"Son of a bitch." Evan muttered. "I'm gonna fucking kill you." He said to the mirror as if Jonathan was really there.

"Let me help you." Brian had said. Evan remembered staring at him, the hammer trembling in his grip.

The door opened on the ground floor. Evan stepped out, walking quickly across the lobby, pushing open the glass door. He tucked the gun into his jacket as he made his way around the building to the alley where he'd be out of sight of anyone looking down. Leaning against the wall, he waited. Evan reached his right hand up to the rose corsage, tracing his fingers over the soft red petals. Headlights illuminated the alley. Evan watched the car approach him. It stopped in front of him. Evan pushed himself off the wall. His grip tightened on the pig mask as he got into the car.

"Okay." Evan had lowered the hammer, dropping it to the kitchen floor. "Help me." Brian had smiled.

The black Cadillac sped off into the neon city.


End file.
